SkillWill

Thanks for taking the time to reply, I appreciate it. The driveway was replacing an existing one so I hope that didn't do too much damage, admittedly the laurels are new. I have since moved the bins and am going to do the mulching / cardboard advice above that is just what I needed. There is some good growth right at the bottom of the trunk so I'm hoping that is a good sign. I'll try and post on here in the future with a positive update!

I added a few pics of the base to the album (and above). Thanks for the advice about mulching. What I intend to do is lightly dig the topsoil away in a circle, say 1m radius, and then put some bone, blood and fishmeal down, then cover that in bark and water in a little. Is that good?

Thanks for the response I really appreciate it. There has been a new driveway put in ~15 months ago and I also dug a little trench to put some laurel saplings in to make a hedge. I will add some pictures around the base tomorrow. Making the assumption that it probably is root damage - is there anything I can do?

I'd be grateful for any advice from people in the know. My yew tree is looking unwell and I'd be very sad if it died. All the other yews in the area are much greener and more bulked out. It did have a reasonable 'crop' of berries which I'm hoping is a sign it's not quite dead yet - but is there anything I can do to help it out? Any advice would be appreciated. Few more (bad) pics here: https://goo.gl/photos/oTBRTbHbABBMX97j8 Edit: I don't mind paying for someone to come and do some pruning / fixing if that would help in any way...