OAP's garden hit as 40ft tree falls

High winds sent a 40ft tree crashing down into the garden of a Black Country pensioner smashing through a fence.

George Clarke, of Grampian Road, Amblecote, Stourbridge, was left stunned when he saw the huge tree uprooted in his garden. The 83-year-old reported it to Dudley Council – but more than a week on claims nothing has been done.

Mr Clarke says he is fed-up of waiting for the council to shift the tree, which has halted landscape work in his garden.

"The council has said it is very low on their list of priorities because now it's down it can't do any more damage but I think seven days is long enough to have to wait," he said.

High winds brought the tree down overnight on June 18. But the retired truck driver was unaware of the damage it had caused until the following morning.

He said: "I didn't hear a thing. I came down in the morning and I looked down the garden and all I saw were leaves.

"I went outside to have a look and I was shocked when I saw the tree. It is a big tree – about 40ft tall and the trunk is about eight inches thick. The fence has taken quite a battering."

Mr Clarke was in the middle of having his garden landscaped when the tree came down and has been told the work cannot be finished until it is removed.

Dudley Council spokes-man, Chris Howes, said: "Our tree teams have been working across the borough dealing with the effects of the recent bad weather.

"We have had to prioritise all cases on the basis of risk, those in danger of falling or posing a risk to the public are being dealt with first. We have been out to Grampion Road and it has been included in our programme of works."

More than 200 calls reporting fallen trees in the borough were made by the public following of gales last month. It led to the team prioritising cases, meaning residents in some areas waited days for trees to be removed.