I’ve just knocked a branch from a tree, I’m 16’1 high. No damage but was wondering who would be responsible if there had been?
Well I don’t think you can blame the tree !! 
You are !!!
Jesus wept.
Boo9729:
Well I don’t think you can blame the tree !!
Lol
No but section 154 of the 1980 highways act compels the owners of trees near the highway to deal with any overhanging vegetation. Local authorities have powers under this act to force owners to comply and if they don’t, their powers extend to carrying out the work and chasing you throught the courts for the cash.
Cue lots of pictures of unemployed bus drivers doing but this is the 20th century not the 1950s.
In your case nothing was damaged but say this branch had hit another car and caused an accident, insurance companies would be knocking on the door of the owner of the trees asking for some recompense.
I once delivered a load of Denlock clay pipes to a new gas pipeline they were laying in near the Brecons that was going all down to South Wales and the delivery point was a right ■■■■ to get in and out of, up a steep narrow hill with cars either side giving me a ■■■ papers width either side low hanging trees which the trailer was hitting our trailers are 14 foot 11 inch. Anyway I tipped the load and was making my way down the hill when BANG! the truck rocked a little I got out to see the trailer had hit a low hanging log sized branch and had damaged the corner where the curtain sits in it’s housing making it impossible to open the curtain. I went back to the site and told them what happened and they said that they were still waiting for a tree surgeon to come out and lop the branches off to make access for the trucks delivering. I rang our company up and explained the situation and they billed the contractors for the repairs. It’s a sites objective to make sure access to a site is not restricted in anyway for deliveries before they start work and they should have action plans in place for such situations.
Christ!!! How do you get through doorways? You must be the world’s tallest man! 
cupidstunt:
Christ!!! How do you get through doorways? You must be the world’s tallest man!
Fabulous!!!
I don’t have to trim my trees… the nice lorry drivers passing do it for me 
mick.mh2racing:
No but section 154 of the 1980 highways act compels the owners of trees near the highway to deal with any overhanging vegetation. Local authorities have powers under this act to force owners to comply and if they don’t, their powers extend to carrying out the work and chasing you throught the courts for the cash.
Cue lots of pictures of unemployed bus drivers doing but this is the 20th century not the 1950s.
In your case nothing was damaged but say this branch had hit another car and caused an accident, insurance companies would be knocking on the door of the owner of the trees asking for some recompense.
This ^^^
Remember doing a delivery to a factory in a residential area once and another truck comes round the corner with a decker. He smacked the branches of a tree that was overhanging from the house across from the factory breaking a few off. The old dear comes running out of her house bawling and shouting and says she’s going to phone the police cos he’s damaged her tree. 10 mins later they turn up, ask a few questions then tells her that if the trailer is damaged then she’ll be paying for it and also that if she doesn’t get the tree cut back, the council will come out next week and do it for her, again at her expense!
I remember about 25 years ago driving a double decker on the Vauxhall contract coming into Weston-Super-Mare on the same route as usual to the Vauxhall dealer there and taking some telegraph wires down so how that happened i don’t know, anyway i just kept going and heard nothing.
bald bloke:
I remember about 25 years ago driving a double decker on the Vauxhall contract coming into Weston-Super-Mare on the same route as usual to the Vauxhall dealer there and taking some telegraph wires down so how that happened i don’t know, anyway i just kept going and heard nothing.
Telephone/electricity wires are different, you could get done for not reporting it to the police.
marlow:
I’ve just knocked a branch from a tree, I’m 16’1 high. No damage but was wondering who would be responsible if there had been?
The owner of the tree (assuming you are on the road and not the pavement).
This is Oxfordshire County Councils view,
Trees over the public highway
It is our policy that trees over the public highway have a clearance of 5.2m to allow unimpeded access for normal height vehicles. We also require trees over public footways to be at a height of 2.5m to allow unimpeded pedestrian access.
These heights have been selected as an acceptable national standard and any vegetation below this may be deemed to be an obstruction. We may enforce Section 154 of the Highways Act 1980: this allows us to serve notice upon the owner of the trees to maintain the public highway in a safe manner.
I hit a tree in decker when I first started, the guy who was showing me the ropes insisted I should go down this road as it was a short cut (barely) said I didn’t feel happy about it but as I was new thought he knows best…
Took the corner off the top of the trailer and the branch ended up smashing the cars windscreen behind… But of course the experienced driver knew best 
…
Saaamon:
I hit a tree in decker when I first started, the guy who was showing me the ropes insisted I should go down this road as it was a short cut (barely) said I didn’t feel happy about it but as I was new thought he knows best…Took the corner off the top of the trailer and the branch ended up smashing the cars windscreen behind… But of course the experienced driver knew best
That wasn’t for Halfords was it? I remember one just like that in the lanes near Redditch. The driver was on his test and the instructor insisted he went down that road - we all took the ■■■■ out of him for ages.
bald bloke:
I remember about 25 years ago driving a double decker on the Vauxhall contract coming into Weston-Super-Mare on the same route as usual to the Vauxhall dealer there and taking some telegraph wires down so how that happened i don’t know, anyway i just kept going and heard nothing.
Well you wouldn’t have, nobody could ring anyone to complain 
was just off the A5 in the at Hall Road, in London. only just missed that car. the tree looks as though its the councils responsibility. I was avoiding the 15’ 9" bridge at Kilburn.
it just got me wondering, bridges under 16’ 6" are marked, all wires are above this and yet its just discretion with trees.
RottenRich:
I don’t have to trim my trees… the nice lorry drivers passing do it for me
I confess I do like a nicely trimmed bush …
Only just missed the car, it was on Hall road, just off the A5, I was avoiding the bridge at Kilburn.
bald bloke:
I remember about 25 years ago driving a double decker on the Vauxhall contract coming into Weston-Super-Mare on the same route as usual to the Vauxhall dealer there and taking some telegraph wires down so how that happened i don’t know, anyway i just kept going and heard nothing.
…maybe someone was on the blower, but couldn’t get through? 