We look after trees and woodland on Council owned land, public open spaces and verges. We are also committed to preserving ancient woodland at The Ercall, Limekiln Wood and Granville Country Park. Trees that grow on Council property are deemed as Council property and anyone wilfully damaging these can be prosecuted.

We have a professional Tree Maintenance team who carries out all appropriate tree care and maintenance to trees owned by the Council.

Trees on private land are the responsibility of the land owner and not Telford & Wrekin Council. The Council has no powers to intervene in disputes regarding private trees. We have produced guidelines regarding private trees.

Trees on your property

Always contact us before carrying out work on trees in your garden to ensure that the trees are not protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), planning constraints or in a conservation area.

Council Trees

We receive many requests to prune back branches from Council trees which overhang residential gardens.

Pruning or felling will not normally be undertaken on a tree in Council ownership to alleviate the nuisance of overhanging branches unless this forms part of planned works or is considered essential on health and safety grounds.

Property owners may undertake this work themselves as they have a Common Law Right to remove the nuisance associated with Council or private trees encroaching on the property. The following advice is given to residents wishing to exercise their Common Law Right with respect to encroaching trees:

1. You can only consider removing those parts of the tree from the point where they cross the boundary of your property.  You have no legal right to cut or remove any part of a tree that does not overhang your property; doing so may make you liable to prosecution for trespass and/or criminal damage.
2. You are strongly advised to consult a professional tree surgeon for guidance on how best to prune back encroaching trees, unless the works are trivial meaning you could do the works with hand secateurs or similar.
3. Before you consider doing any works to a tree/trees you should find out if it is protected by a Tree Preservation Order.
4. You cannot enter private land that you do not own to gain access to a tree for tree surgery operations without permission to do so from the landowner.