Life on 'terrifying' street where people are 'living in fear'

Life on 'terrifying' street where people 'live in fear' in their homes

"It shouldn’t take a tragic death to make the local authority act"

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Residents of a south Liverpool road are 'living in fear' as trees keep falling down in their street. The latest tree crashed down in Beauclair Drive in Wavertree this weekend as Storm Darragh battered the city with wind and rain.

Residents claim this was the fourth tree to fall in the street in recent years. People have suffered damage to their houses and cars and there are fears that someone could soon be killed. Locals say they have continually asked Liverpool City Council to take action with the dangerous trees that remain in the road but say their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

On Saturday, elderly Beauclair resident Sandra Collins. Mrs Collins, aged 78, was told to leave her home in the street because of the dangers of falling trees. Sandra, who recently lost her husband, heard the noise of twigs and branches hitting her front windows. This was followed by a knock at the door from a police officer who told her she needed to get out of the property as it wasn't safe and a tree could fall on it.

She said: "It has really shaken me up. My neighbours took me in and then I had to stay at my son's house for a couple of nights. I haven't been sleeping at all because I think a tree is going to fall on me. I'm terrified. Every time I hear the wind I get scared. I have been struggling to get over the death of my husband and this is a lot to cope with.

She added: "It feels like there is going to be a fatal accident on this road soon and the council is just not listening. A tree fell through the bedroom of another house recently, just two doors down from me. How much warning do the council need before they do something?"

One person who knows the devastating impacts of falling trees in Beauclair Drive is 55-year-old Johanna Burnett. This time last year her house and car were badly damaged by a tree which fall onto her property.

She said: "Me and my husband were upstairs at the time, he was very ill with cancer, when we heard a huge bang. We looked in the bathroom and the plaster had come off the walls.

"The tree had crashed into the side of the house, it had also pushed the driveway wall into my car. The branch of the tree also hit the top of my car."

Mrs Burnett, whose husband sadly died three weeks later, said she found the city council very hard to deal on the matter and relied on the fire service to come out and help her. Eventually she says she was told by a council worker that she needed to speak to her insurance company.

She added: "Me and my insurance company tried to get the council to take some responsibility for what had happened but they just kept saying it wasn't their fault."

Speaking about the issues this weekend, she added: "I couldn't believe the timing of it, it was almost exactly a year on. Everyone in the road feels really anxious every time its windy, we all know that a tree is probably going to come down."

62-year-old Nick Harris is another Beauclair resident who fears the worst could happen before proper action is taken. He said: "Nothing is being done to resolve the appalling condition. Almost every year a tree falls causing damage. We live at the bottom end of Beauclair and have three poplar trees leaning precariously. Opposite is King David School where trees are leaning literally over the playground.

"We really cannot understand why the council is refusing to do anything substantial. Eventually they completed lower pruning to allow assessments of each tree. The arborist that attended told us that they were all dangerous and needed to be removed.

"It will only be a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or a fatality will occur. The trees are overgrown and dying. We along with other residents live in fear."

Local councillor Carl Cashman has been fighting alongside the residents for help from the local authority. Cllr Cashman told the ECHO: "Since becoming a councillor for the area it became apparent that residents in Beauclair Drive have huge concerns over the safety of trees in their road.

"Last year I canvassed the road and every resident felt the same and singed my petition calling on the council to re-evaluate the trees. Every time I have taken this up with the council they have said that a tree survey was undertaken some years ago and that the trees are safe. Clearly this is nonsense and the residents know it.

He added: "I have written to the chief executive to ask for immediate action. It shouldn’t take a tragic death to make the local authority act."

In response, a spokesperson from Liverpool City Council said: “We routinely inspect all trees across the city and assess the level of risk they pose to the public. Removing trees entirely is a last resort and we consider all other alternatives first.

“In October, our teams visited Beauclair Drive to assess the health of the trees and any risks to residents. During this visit, we removed excess growth from the base of the trees to allow us to carry out a detailed inspection. At the time of this inspection, no trees were found in a dangerous condition that meant they needed removing.

“Unfortunately, the high winds and rain that we experienced during Storm Darragh caused one tree to fall on the street and more than 50 city-wide. We responded to the incident and are currently clearing the area. Following this, we will closely examine the stumps and roots to see if any risk remains. If anyone is worried about the condition of trees in their local area, they can report them through www.liverpool.gov.uk/trees.”

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