Tree Surgeons Pangbourne: Why a £50,000 Fine Shows the Real Cost of Getting Tree Work Wrong
If you've got an overgrown or storm-damaged tree in the garden and you're tempted to get it sorted quickly and cheaply, it's worth knowing just how expensive a mistake can turn out to be. Many trees across Reading and Pangbourne are protected, and cutting one down or heavily pruning it without the right permission can land a homeowner or landowner in serious trouble.
One of the starkest examples came from Hampshire, where a landowner was fined £50,000, plus costs bringing the total to over £68,000, after unlawfully felling oak, ash, birch, hawthorn and poplar trees covered by a Tree Preservation Order. The council took immediate enforcement action, halted all work on site, and pursued a prosecution that resulted in one of the largest fines of its kind.
A Tree Preservation Order makes it a criminal offence to cut down, top, lop, uproot or damage a protected tree without written consent from the council, with fines of up to £20,000 in a Magistrates' Court, and no upper limit at all if the case goes to the Crown Court. In a conservation area, you also need to give the council six weeks' written notice before felling any tree over 75mm in trunk diameter, protected or not.
The safest approach is always to check before any work starts, not after. A reputable local tree surgeon will know how to check whether a tree is protected, what permissions are needed, and how to handle the paperwork properly, so a routine bit of tree work never turns into an expensive legal headache.
Kings Tree Care Services has been carrying out tree surgery, pruning and stump grinding across Reading, Pangbourne and the surrounding area for years, and always checks the position on protected trees before any work begins. If you've got a tree that needs attention, get in touch via kingstreecareservices.co.uk for advice and a quote.
