Concern for safety over 'dangerous' fallen oak

A 40ft oak tree which fell into a Petworth garden is dangerous and must be removed, residents have said.
Diana and Christopher by the treeDiana and Christopher by the tree
Diana and Christopher by the tree

The tree fell over in high winds and crashed through two residents gardens at about 9.30pm on Thursday.

Hamper’s Green residents have said their housing association Hyde has failed to remove what they called a ‘dangerous’ oak.

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Mechanic Christopher Tottman has been living in his home for 20 years.

He said: “We heard a big crack as it went through the new fence.

“We were indoors and thought ‘what was that big sound’ and there was an oak tree in the garden that wasn’t supposed to be there.

“We contacted Hyde first thing Friday morning as we were worried it might come down a bit further.

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“They said they would send a surveyor out but no one turned up.

“Then we were told someone would ring us but the haven’t — they are supposed to do something.”

Diana, who has lived in the house for the past 25 years, said: “It’s dangerous.

“We have had to use all of our patio furniture to block our dogs from going down there.”

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Chairs and buckets are acting as a barricade to stop curious Labradors Max and Jake from misadventure under the fallen oak.

Diana said that if her neighbour had been putting her washing out as the tree collapsed ‘she would have been killed’.

“We are not asking them because we fancy a change — it has got to be removed.”

Audrey Williamson is the associate director of resident services for Hyde.

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She said: “We can confirm that the tree fell from one residential garden into another.

“A surveyor is visiting the properties on Thursday and we will have a better understanding of the situation then.”

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