A homeowner who damaged a 90-year-old tree so badly it had to be felled has been fined over £60,000.
He can clearly afford it. And if they'd told him that would be the cost of felling it he'd no doubt have paid up...
Stephen Lawrence, from Chelmsford, Essex, had made two applications to the council to fell the mature protected cedar, but both were refused by the council.
Despite warnings, he stripped the bark off the lower trunk, according to the council, and holes were drilled into the wood.
Chelmsford City Council said the damage was so extensive it had to be felled - and took him to court.
Does he care about the criminal record? Obviously not!
The defendant was initially fined £90,000, but this was reduced to £60,000 plus costs of £1,004.82 and a victim surcharge of £32, based on his early guilty plea.
A better sentence would have been to confiscate the house, giving him the lowest market valuation.
Julia,
ReplyDeleteYou are daft. These geriatric old trees fall over and/or shed branches, causing loads of damage. An old tree may be valuable as wood, but it's not valuable if it lands on your head or car. TPOs are a pain in the arse. Like most green twaddle.
Victim surcharge? Blimey.
ReplyDeleteSign: Tree fellers wanted
Passing Irishman to his mate: "What a shame there's only two of us."
One of those posts fir the barking.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he can come and shift a couple for me. They're a bloody blight all year round
ReplyDelete" These geriatric old trees fall over and/or shed branches, causing loads of damage. An old tree may be valuable as wood, but it's not valuable if it lands on your head or car. TPOs are a pain in the arse. Like most green twaddle."
ReplyDeleteLooking at the pictures it looked a healthy tree to me, and if its an Atlantic cedar (which it looks like) would have a lifespan of 300 years, so just getting going at 90 years old. If a tree is diseased and/or dangerous then you can get them removed, TPO or not, so you can guarantee the owner would have tried that route first.
"TPOs are a pain in the arse. Like most green twaddle."
ReplyDeleteThey do, however, prevent our environment from looking like 'Blade Runner'. So, there's that...
"Maybe he can come and shift a couple for me. They're a bloody blight all year round"
How are trees a 'blight'..?
"If a tree is diseased and/or dangerous then you can get them removed, TPO or not, so you can guarantee the owner would have tried that route first."
Oh, indeed!
"How are trees a 'blight'..? "
ReplyDeleteThey drop millions of those little seed things that keep clogging the gutters. They also block the sunlight on the front during summer
I suppose they're not bad to look at though...