Call for action after falling tree just misses children in Bridgnorth
A councillor has called for action after a tree fell on a road in Bridgnorth, just missing passing pedestrians.
Strong winds blew the huge oak tree on to a road, pavement and fence, with residents left thankful no-one was hurt.
Shropshire councillor for Bridgnorth East and Astley Abbotts, Christan Lea, requested that Shropshire Council carry out a survey of the trees along Stanley Lane between the junction of Bramble Ridge and the junction with the Broseley Road.
Councillor Lea said that residents are very concerned over the safety of the trees.
He said: "I was naturally very concerned to hear about the oak tree having fallen across Stanley Lane and the fact that it was actually witnessed by people who were walking along the footpath a little further along Stanley Lane.
"I contacted the arboricultural team at Shropshire Council requesting that they immediately undertake a survey of the trees between the junction of Bramble Ridge and the Broseley Road to allay residents safety concerns.
"With the survey having been undertaken last Tuesday, I very much welcome the work which Shropshire Council propose to undertake in the near future along this stretch of Stanley Lane and the fact that future tree safety inspections will continue to be undertaken in line with Shropshire Council's tree safety policy."
A resident of nearby Bramble Ridge said it was a "miracle" no-one was hurt.
He said: "It was a miracle that no-one was actually there at the time. It would have killed them, it really is a massive tree. I had spoken to a lady who said there were children walking just 100 yards away a few minutes earlier."
Dave Woodhouse, arboricultural officer at Shropshire Council, surveyed the trees and discovered they are in varying conditions and has recommended work be carried out.
He said: "It would appear that there were some signs of early decay in the tree that failed, although this would have not been possible to detect from a roadside inspection, given the location of the decay and the external symptoms of the crown/tree stem.
"It is appreciated that this highway has a notable rate of cars and pedestrians, which was evident during my site visit yesterday.
"Hopefully some of the precautionary work, whilst not strictly safety based will help reduce the chance of branch/tree failures on to this road, although I am not sure that there have been noted problems in the past, more general residents' concerns.
"In the future we will continue to undertake tree safety inspections in line with the council's tree safety policy to try and manage the risk from trees."
