Report an overhanging tree, plant or hedge

Report an overhanging tree, plant or hedge causing an obstruction to a road or pavement online.

Report a fallen tree or branch

Let us know if a tree or branch has fallen down and is obstructing a road, street or pavement.

If a tree has fallen into a telephone line, contact BT on 0800 800 151

If a tree has fallen into a power line, contact Western Power Distribution on 0800 365 900

Hedges, trees and plants that overhang onto a road or pavement are generally the responsibility of the landowner, but we will get involved if there is a safety concern.

Safety concerns include the following:

• Causing an obstruction
• Forcing pedestrians into the road
• Reducing visibility on junctions

We will assess sites individually to decide if action is needed or not - each site is judged on its own merits depending on available width of path and impact of any encroachment.

Before you report it

Report an overhanging tree, plant or hedge on our website.

Using our website to report issues

You will need to provide a location of the issue (post code or town) and then select the relevant category:

 

• Drains and flooding
• Public spaces and parks
• Roads and pavements
• Rubbish and environment

You will need to provide the following information:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Location of the issue
• A summary of the issue

 

Next steps

We will write to the landowner and ask them to remove the obstruction. If the landowner does not remove the obstruction, we have the power to intervene and will try to recover any costs incurred.

Please be aware that it can take up to 3 months for the vegetation encroachment to be resolved as there are a series of steps we need to follow. We will intervene sooner if we feel there is a significant safety risk.

These are the steps we will take:

1. We receive a report and allocate the issue to the area's highway inspector to assess the situation and determine whether enforcement action is required. Each site is judged individually, in person. This can take up to 10 working days.
2. After inspection we will decide if we will take immediate action and engage with the responsible party, or continue to monitor the issue. The report will be closed and you will be notified of our decision.
3. If we feel there are sufficient safety grounds to pursue the issue with the land owner or occupier, we will send a polite notice asking them to cut back their vegetation, describing the issue from the original report. In some cases, we are unable to establish landowner or occupier information, in which case we need to complete a land registry search. This step usually takes between 4 and 6 weeks to complete.
4. After step 3, we will visit the property to see if the vegetation has been cut back as described in the better. If it has been cut back to an acceptable standard, we will take no further action.
5. If the vegetation has not been cut back as described in the letter, we will issue the landowner or occupied with a legal notice stating the exact regulations by which they must act. This step usually takes between 3 to 4 weeks.
6. Once a legal notice has been issued and the landowner or occupier has been given enough time to act on our request, we will visit the property to check the vegetation has been dealt with accordingly. If it has been cut back, we will take no further action.
7. If the vegetation has still not been cut back as previously requested in writing, we will raise a job with our contractor to carry out the works on the landowner or occupier's behalf. We will invoice the landowner or occupier for the work carried out as they are liable for the cost.

WarningWe do our best to meet these timescales. However, delays can occur as we respond to other issues on the highway that are deemed a higher risk and therefore require our immediate attention.