In 2021 the Council refreshed Tree and Woodland Policy, view information about the Tree and Woodland Policy for Telford and Wrekin (.pdf Size: 699Kb) . The document describes how the Council manage its trees and details the works which the Council will undertake upon trees within the resources available.

The Council will only undertake the following works:

  • fell or prune trees in a dangerous condition
  • fell dead trees in high amenity area and leave dead trees within habitat areas until no longer safe to do so
  • prune trees physically touching a dwelling house to provide a minimum clearance of 2.5m from the property, where possible
  • prune trees blocking a footpath or road junction to retain visibility around junctions, streetlights, road signs and traffic lights
  • take appropriate action in cases of subsidence once a full tree and soil report has been received from an insurance company
  • investigate reports on unauthorised works to our trees and seek to prosecute where relevant
  • investigate reports of vandalism to a Council owned tree and try to correct any damage where we can
  • investigate trip hazards, we will undertake measures to make safe an unacceptable trip hazard in street, road or highway caused by the growth of a Council owned tree
  • we have no general policy to remove trees poisonous fruit/foliage (such as yew tees), however where it is claimed or known that unsupervised young children are likely to be exposed to poisonous berries or foliage, such cases will be investigated and appropriate action considered
  • where a Council owned tree is associated with criminal activity and/or anti-social behaviour, measures to reduce the problem will be considered on a site-by-site basis.

Please use our online form to report your issue:

Complete our online form to report a problem with a Council owned tree

What happens next?

A site inspection will be undertaken.

Customers will be informed within 20 working days of receipt that a site inspection is required and that such a site inspection will be undertaken within 2 weeks of receipt and the customer notified of what action is considered appropriate. 

Last updated : 19 July 2024

The information on this page is designed to provide you with some useful advice if you are experiencing issues with a Council owned tree. Alternatively, if you wish to exercise your Common Law Right to remove (abate) the nuisance associated with encroaching trees, then please view and follow the steps listed on the overhanging trees section.

School trees are managed via Telford & Wrekin’s Education Department or as in the case of Academies managed directly. View information on how to report any issues with trees by going directly to the school in the first instance.

We will not prune, fell or reduce the height of a Council owned tree on the following basis:

Customer advice:

  • There is no legal right to a ‘view’.

  • It maybe that your satellite or tv provider will be able to suggest an alternative solution to the problem, for example relocating the aerial/dish or means to boost the signal.

A tree is not dangerous just because it may be considered too big or too tall for its surroundings. Other problems and information can be seen by downloading the "Dangerous Trees Standards" for the Council to consider it to be dangerous and warrant crown or height reduction.

Customer advice:

  • there is no legal right to prune, fell or remove a tree under these circumstances.

Customer advice:

  • Bees are protected species and advice should be taken before considering their removal.
  • On private trees you may be able to dispose of individual wasps using an aerosol insect repellent spray, but this will not control or eliminate the nest itself. Ideally the whole nest should be destroyed. This can be achieved with great caution but it is far safer to use pest control experts. If the nest is within a Council tree, contact us to report.
  • The Council only provides service for rats and mice. View information about a pest control service for rats and mice. For pests in trees you are advised to engage a reputable company in this instance, visit the British Pest Control Association website. 

Customer advice:

  • Honeydew is caused by greenfly (aphids) feeding on the tree, which excrete a sugary sap. Often the honeydew is colonised by a mould, which causes it to go black.
  • Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to remove the aphid which causes the problem and pruning the tree may only offer temporary relief and any re-growth is often more likely to be colonised by greenfly thereby potentially increasing the problem. Honeydew is a natural and seasonal problem. Where honeydew affects cars, warm soapy water will remove the substance, particularly if you wash the car as soon as possible.

Customer advice:

  • Blossom / fruit / seed fall is a natural occurrence, which cannot be avoided by pruning.
  • There is no legal responsibility for the council to remove blossom/fruit/seed fall from private gardens. Where action has been initiated against public bodies on a national basis, cases have been dismissed by the judge as a ‘waste of court time’
  • Roads, streets or the highway are swept of excessive blossom / fallen fruit as necessary. Similarly paths through parks and green spaces will be swept of blossom / fallen fruit as part of normal cleaning cycles.
  • Germinating seed such a sycamore / ash will not be removed from surrounding areas such as residential gardens.

Customer advice:

  • The loss of leaves from trees in the autumn is part of the natural cycle and cannot be avoided by pruning.
  • There is no legal responsibility for the council to remove leaves from private gardens. Where action has been initiated against public bodies on a national basis, cases have been dismissed by the judge as a ‘waste of court time’
  • The maintenance of gutters is the responsibility of the landowner and the Council is not obliged to remove leaves that may have fallen from Council owned trees. Where gutters are regularly blocked by fallen leaves gutter guards may be fitted to provide a low maintenance solution.

The council will not visit the site to complete an inspection.

Customer Advice:

Customer advice:

  • In law there is no general right to light.
  • We often get requests to lop, top or fell trees adjacent to recently acquired properties. Purchasers should be aware that the authority will not prune trees for a perceived right to light or shading of gardens in such circumstances.
  • If natural light is being blocked by the growth of a hedge then action may be taken to reduce the problem under the High Hedges Act Part 8 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. Visit the GOV.UK website for more information on the High Hedges Act Part 8 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. View information about high hedges.
  • In some situations, shading contributes to the growth of algae on pathways. Where the algae occurs on private property advice will be given on the best way to manage it.
  • In some circumstances council trees are implicated in excessively dry or excessively damp gardens, where this occurs we will look at each case and agree a remedy with the relevant resident to help relieve the problems experienced.

Customer advice: electricity cables

  • The Council is not permitted to prune around electricity cables. Residents should visit the Western Power website who can resolve the problem by cutting back vegetation that is interfering with the cable. They can be contacted at 0800 396 3080. Never attempt to prune around wires yourself as you risk being electrocuted.

Customer advice: telephone cables

  • Open Reach is responsible for all telecommunications equipment up to the point the cable enters your property at the master phone socket.
  • There could be many reasons for faults within the telephone and broadband network. In order to resolve an issue you should contact your phone and broadband provider direct. This is the company you pay your bills too.  This will not be Open Reach as they are only responsible for the infrastructure. Your provider will be able to test the line and provide advice.
  • Your provider may send an engineer out to your property or arrange on your behalf an Open Reach Engineer to visit the address if the problem cannot be resolved.
  • Under Schedule 2 of the Telecommunication Act 1984 it is the responsibility of the “operator of the service”, (currently Open Reach) to maintain and repair the infrastructure. This includes pruning around telephone cables and replacing damaged cables at their cost. If you believe a tree branch is causing the problem you should mention this to your service provider.

Movement and settling of properties over time is natural as a result of changes to soil, weight of a building on the land and for new houses, drying out of the structure and timbers.

I you believe that your house is suffering subsidence you should contact your insurance company for advice. They will likely come out and visit the property to make an assessment.

Visit the Subsidence Forum website.

Customer advice:

  • Contact your insurance company and inform them that you may have subsidence.
  • If the tree is a council tree and your insurance company supports a the conclusion of subsidence they will need to order site investigations to establish the cause. In order to claim against the Council your insurance company will need to provide us with:
    • root samples with DNA (starch content)
    • soil samples (texture analysis)
    • crack monitoring (over a 12 month period) 
    • soil plasticity index
    • distortion monitoring
    • risk of heave.
  • Once we have received all requested evidence we will process your claim as part of our insurance claims process.
  • In assessing your claim and any potential action we will check id the tree is protected via a TPO or Conservation order. We will also assess the value of the tee using the CAVAT value of tree assessment. 
  • Trees may not always be removed as a result of a subsidence claim if there is a more appropriate way of managing the subsidence risk. In some cases the removal of a tree may not be possible due to the risk of heave.

Last updated : 6 November 2024

How long will the Council take to answer my question about trees?

We will respond to your initial enquiry within 20 working days. If your enquiry requires further research such as a site visit we will tell you within 20 working days and indicate a timescale for any response as appropriate.

What are the Council’s responsibilities with regard to their trees?

The Council, as with any landowner, has a ‘Duty of Care’ to make sure that any trees located on its land are periodically inspected and managed to within acceptable health and safety parameters.

Where are the Council’s trees and who inspects them?

The Council is responsible for managing trees on its land on highway verges, cemeteries, open space and within woodlands. We currently employ two Tree and Woodland Officers who deal with day to day enquiries but from time to time employ qualified arboricultural consultants to undertake more detailed survey work.

Can I prune a Council owned tree?

Property owners have a legal right, (common law right) to prune trees encroaching onto their property. These trees can be council or owned by your neighbour.

  • 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 boundary. Doing so may make you liable to prosecution to trespass and or criminal damage.
  • 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.
  • Before you consider doing any works to tree/trees you should find out if they are protected by a Tree Preservation Order or are within a Conservation Area. If the trees are protected, you will need to gain consent by making an application/give notice to the Council. View our Planning and Building Control Interactive Map to find our if the trees are protected. Visit the planning portal website for guidance on how to apply for work to Council owned trees.
  • It’s always best to speak with your neighbours before you undertake any pruning. They can’t stop you pruning the tree to the boundary line but you do need to offer the branches back as you don’t own them. In all likelihood you will have to dispose of the cuttings yourself in the garden waste bin or via the household waste sites. If you’re pruning a council tree you must not place the pruning back onto council land.
  • You cannot enter land that you do not own, (including public open space,) to gain access to a tree for tree surgery operations without permission to do so from the landowner.

I’ve seen a tree that doesn’t look healthy but doesn’t appear to be dangerous what do I do?

A tree which looks unhealthy isn’t necessarily dangerous. Signs to look out for are:

  • dead
  • dying – few leaves in summer or dieback in the crown
  • mark is loose and falling off
  • mushrooms or fungi growing on or near the tree
  • old splits and cracks in the trunk or large branches
  • smaller branches falling from the tree.

Council Tree Roots are growing in my property and causing damage?

Where roots are growing within the boundary of your property you have the legal right to prune or sever these roots.

  • You can only consider removing roots from the point where they cross the boundary of your property. You have no legal right to cut or remove any root that is outside of your property boundary. Doing so may make you liable to prosecution to trespass and or criminal damage.
  • You are strongly advised to consult a professional tree surgeon for, unless the works are trivial meaning you could do the works with hand secateurs or similar.
  • If you cut root and an adjacent tree dies as a result you could be held responsible in a court for any damage caused as a result of the tree dying. 
  • Before you consider doing any works to tree/trees you should find out if they are protected by a Tree Preservation Order or are within a Conservation Area. If the trees are protected, you will need to gain consent by making an application/give notice to the Council. View our Planning and Building Control Interactive Map to find out if the trees are protected. Visit the planning portal website for guidance on how to apply for works to Council tree roots.
  • It’s always best to speak with your neighbours before you undertake any pruning. They can’t stop you cutting or removing the roots to the boundary line but you do need to offer cuttings back as you don’t own them. In all likelihood you will have to dispose of the cuttings yourself in the garden waste bin or via the household waste sites. If you’re cutting roots belonging to a council tree you must not place the pruning back onto council land and should use the garden waste bin. 
  • You cannot enter land that you do not own, (including public open space,) to gain access to a tree for tree surgery operations without permission to do so from the landowner.

If a tree roots is believed to be causing damage to a property such as a garden wall, fence or house you will need to contact the councils insurance department on insurance.claims@telford.gov.uk with a full soil, root and building survey completed by your insurance company along with suitable pictures to identify the damage caused. The Council cannot consider any claims without these reports.

Last updated : 19 July 2024