Verge tree ownership

[Mark Bolam]

I’d got in after an easyish but sweaty day and had just popped an ice cold Tyskie lager.

My wife Ruth went out for a run but rang after about 5 minutes.

 

She was just out of the village and ran under a 18” dia 60’ sycamore on the verge which started creaking as she ran past.

6.30, dry, no wind.

She turned round and it fell across the main road, getting hung up in the trees opposite.

 

She called me so I pulled on my stinking Pfanners and boots, grabbed the 660 out the workshop and headed up.

It’s the only road out of the top of the village. I got there as an ambulance was turning round.

 

Pulled into the middle, hazards on, and got to work.

Had it flat pretty quickly, managing not to bust the post and rail underneath the hung up side.

Ruth and some good Samaritans (there was a fair queue each way) handballed everything into the verges well beyond the white line.

 

Only downside was some gyppos in a Disco who bypassed everyone and drove through near the end, just missing my saw.

God how I despise those scum.

If I’d seen them coming they would have had a round through their windscreen.

 

Landowner rocks up, nice guy, but a bit of a toff.

 

Didn’t speak to me, which was fair enough, I was muffs down and flat out, but he spoke to Ruth.

 

He basically said it wasn’t his tree, it was Highways tree because it was on the verge.

(The butt is up a shallow banking, maybe 4m back from the white line. Backing onto woodland. probably fenced off once, but no discernible boundary now).

 

I won’t be putting a bill into anyone, I just wanted to get the road clear.

 

The thing is, is there a definitive ownership of roadside trees, or does it vary?

My local council seem very keen to give up responsibility for every single bit of ground they can get away with at the moment, but roads need verges.

Who owns them and the trees that are often contained within them?

 

Saturday night, running into Sunday now, so timewasters and conspiracy theorists all welcome.

 

[openspaceman]

It probably is his tree if he still owns the road and verge but responsibility for it almost certainly rests with the highway authority.

[maybelateron]

A very good question about ownership of trees/the problem. I have had problems on several occasions getting anyone to "own up" to being responsible for trees in "no man's land".

Money is the root of all evil, as the old saying goes.

[Macpherson]

No idea, but also enjoying Tyskie... and Whiskie😄

 

As far a I know, up here anyway the county is responsible for 2m either side.

[Mark Bolam]

12 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

It probably is his tree if he still owns the road and verge but responsibility for it almost certainly rests with the highway authority.

He doesn’t own the road mate!

[Mark Bolam]

10 minutes ago, Macpherson said:

No idea, but also enjoying Tyskie... and Whiskie😄

 

As far a I know, up here anyway the county is responsible for 2m either side.

Tyskie’s a nice drop.

Goes down a bit easy, like….

[Hodge]

From my experience......the land owner is responsible up to the middle of the road. This was brought to light by the land registry when debating ownership of my land.

[Hodge]

Oh and no wonder the land owner ignored you if Ruth was in her running gear🤣🤣🤣🤣easy tiger[emoji123][emoji123]

[openspaceman]

Unless the land for the road was previously owned by the manor or the highway authority have purchased it for the road then it is not unusual for the landowner on either side to own their half up to the centre of the highway (highway includes the road surface and verges).

[Macpherson]

1 minute ago, Mark Bolam said:

Tyskie’s a nice drop.

Goes down a bit easy, like….

Yep, I likes it very much... after removing a large tree from the road on a Saturday night it must taste better than ever👍