Council tries to press charges for ring-barking, gets landed with £100k fine

[martwizz]

Council to seek prosecution over alleged ringbarking of protected trees - Get Surrey

 

Four trees cost council 100,000 in the High Court | Surrey Mirror

 

I think this kind of stuff is disgusting. Developers hire tree surgeons to ring bark 4 oak trees that are TPO'd, then get away with it because the TPO notification was sent by recorded post. The developers are subsequently rewarded with £100k from the council to cover their £75k legal costs.

 

What's the point in having all these systems in place if developers can just bully councils and do what they want? Many developers just bulldoze protected trees and take the fine!

 

Not so long ago there was a case local to me where a resident hacked back 6 TPO'd veteran beech trees and got away with it. He was not charged because they deemed that his earnings were too low to be able to fine him ....he was in the process of building a second house in his garden!

 

[mad matty]

Totally agree mate, happens all the time near me, and locally near sandbanks Poole Dorset

[nepia]

You should have seen the oaks that got ringbarked before the TPO was put on; the ones in the pics are saplings in comparison. No wonder the locals aren't fans of said Village Developments.

[felixthelogchopper]

You should have seen the oaks that got ringbarked before the TPO was put on; the ones in the pics are saplings in comparison. No wonder the locals aren't fans of said Village Developments.

 

You need a bloke who was active in my area some years ago who went under the name of The Barling Bomber.

[nepia]

You need a bloke who was active in my area some years ago who went under the name of The Barling Bomber.

 

I've looked him up; have you got contact details for him?

[felixthelogchopper]

I've looked him up; have you got contact details for him?

 

He's a bit like the A team to find, I'm afraid.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Totally agree mate, happens all the time near me, and locally near sandbanks Poole Dorset

 

There have been a couple of successes though:

 

boroughofpoole.com - Successful prosecution against destruction of protected trees in Poole

 

boroughofpoole.com - Successful Prosecution Against Illegal Tree Felling in Poole

 

If only the LA's had the resources, will and 'teeth' to bite back....

[Gary Prentice]

I'm sure that someone has said an order becomes valid (with the appropriate section for the temporary order) as soon as the legal department affixes their seal on it.

[mad matty]

There have been a couple of successes though:

 

boroughofpoole.com - Successful prosecution against destruction of protected trees in Poole

 

boroughofpoole.com - Successful Prosecution Against Illegal Tree Felling in Poole

 

If only the LA's had the resources, will and 'teeth' to bite back....

 

yeah true.....but many have had next to nothing done about them, or the builder just swallows the fine.

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

yeah true.....but many have had next to nothing done about them, or the builder just swallows the fine.

 

 

Yeah, fair one!