DIY store cut down to size over falling tree danger

DIY giant B&Q is under fire after cars were damaged by falling tree branches from one of its sites, almost six months after it was warned about the danger.

The trees which line the site of the B&Q depot in Powderhall have been the subject of a long-running dispute among local residents.

The company was sent a report last year which highlighted the dangerous condition of some of the trees and said work should be carried out as a priority to make them safe.

However, nothing was done and recent gales caused several branches to collapse, badly damaging cars and the boundary fence on the site.

Now residents are pursuing B&Q to cover the cost of repairs. The company has apologised and insists work will be carried out within the next week to make the trees safe.

Concern over the state of the trees led to the Powder- hall Village Owners Association commissioning an independent survey in August last year, which found that all but one of the eight trees required remedial work to make them safe.

The report, by Fountain Forestry, said recent growth on the trees was "weakly attached" and that "structural failure" was likely in the "near future".

The report was sent to the store manager and the chief executive of B&Q in September last year, but when no response was received the association again wrote to the company in February.

Roddy Martine, the chairman of the owners' association, said: "This has been a problem for years and I think it is about time B&Q accepted their responsibility.

"I know a few residents with damaged cars have been asked to fill out claim forms by B&Q, so I hope they don't try and dispute that they are at fault."

William Mackie, who lives directly opposite the site, said: "They have ignored us for years and now we have a situation where people's cars have been damaged."

"What's worse is that I can see out my window that there are several large branches which are hanging in a very precarious state and they need to be dealt with."

A B&Q spokeswoman said: "We apologise for the inconvenience the trees have caused. They are to be pruned next week and we hope this brings their concerns to a satisfactory resolution. We will continue to keep a close watch on the trees and keep them regularly cut back."