A homeowner is urging the council to take action after a branch came crashing down into a garden.

Oliver Meadows said the branch fell off the old ash tree on Friday night leaving him fearing what would have happened if it had fallen during the day when people were out.

But because the tree has a preservation order on it (TPO), Oliver needs permission to make it safe.

The tree lies on the border of two houses in Bradshaw Brow in Bradshaw.

Oliver said he was told by the tree surgeon that the branch would have killed anyone who was standing underneath there at the time.

The Bolton News:

Oliver said: “Last year a branch came down in my garden and my concern is that if that had landed on any of my kids or the neighbour’s kids, it would have killed them.

“The council say it’s a healthy tree and we are fine with that but how many branches will fall before someone is killed?

“This is not the first time this has happened and we have lived here only three years.”

He added: “I just woke up and saw the branch this time covering the neighbour’s garden.”

Bolton Council initially agreed to let the residents trim the tree, but Oliver feels this is not enough as large branches still loom over their garden.

The tree was last trimmed three months ago.

Oliver said: It’s just dangerous and leaves me thinking who has to die before the council take it seriously.

“I’ve been here for three years and had branches constantly falling, sometimes small but sometimes quite big but the last two were the most dangerous.

“The first time I told the council they let us trim it from the crown but that was it.”

Olive’s two daughters aged six and two often play in the garden which has a big part of the tree looming over it.

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “This tree is on private land and is subject to a tree preservation order (TPO).

“Anyone wanting to request work on a tree with TPO needs to make a planning application.

“We last inspected this tree following an application in December 2021. We have no record that the tree was considered unsafe.

“The homeowner made contact with the council last week and a contractor attended last Friday to clear the fallen section.”