Councils accused of 'chainsaw massacre' on trees over health and safety fears

A damning government report yesterday warned that trees were being chopped down in urban areas more quickly than they were being planted.

The "chainsaw massacre" is being fuelled by the UK's compensation culture and fears that falling branches could lead to expensive insurance claims.

Eric Pickles, the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, warned that the leafy character of urban areas was under threat.

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"Whitehall's failure to tackle the compensation culture and the heavy-handed application of health and safety regulation is doing more harm than good," he said.

"Trees have a vital role to play in tackling climate change and improving quality of life, yet Britain's leafy suburbs face a chainsaw massacre under Labour."

Repeated studies have highlighted the importance of trees and green spaces in towns and cities. Not only do they help combat pollution from cars and lorries, a leafy environment can reduce stress and blood pressure levels of residents.

The new report - published by the Department of Communities and Local Government - is the biggest ever survey of urban trees in England. It covered streets, parks, schools, churchyards, allotments and private gardens in 147 towns and cities.

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It found that just 11 per cent of trees in the 150 towns surveyed were between 50 and 100 years old, while just two per cent were over 100 years told. The report said there was a "big reduction" in the number of young trees compared to the last major survey in 1992.

The Trees in Towns 2 report found that more trees were being maintained - but that the quality of maintenance work was sometimes shoddy.

One in four recently planted trees died from lack of maintenance, while one in five local authorities were doing no scheduled tree maintenance at all.

The report warned: "Although concerns about public safety will always restrict the number of mature and over-mature trees along roads and highways, policies for routine removal of all large trees during the early phases of maturity and their replacement with smaller 'safer' alternatives should be challenged.

"The importance of mature and ancient trees in urban areas is undeniable and local authorities responsible for their management must balance public safety against heir responsibilities for protecting and enhancing the environment.

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"This reduction in new planting, and the threats to older tress in urban areas, have resulted in an unsatisfactory age structure - an issue that needs to be urgently addressed."

The report found that England's "top tree" is the Leyland cypress, mainly used for hedges, which accounted for more than one in ten of all trees. These are followed by hawthorn and sycamore.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: "Trees add character and charm to an area and councils go to great lengths to protect existing trees and plant new ones.

"The Government survey shows that tree health has hugely improved, with councils maintaining trees much more regularly.

"However, trees can't just be planted anywhere and real thought needs to go into where they are situated.

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"Trees planted in the wrong place can block out light for residents and even cause thousands of pounds' worth of damage to people's homes through subsidence."

Communities Minister Iain Wright said: "Towns need trees. This report shows many councils are doing great work - but I'd like to see all councils aspiring to the standards of the best.

"Trees are a key feature of the British landscape across our town and cities and I am concerned about such a wide disparity in how they are looked after."