Dead tree falls from glory in Bushey

A Bushey resident who spent two years attempting to get a dead tree removed from outside her home has warned that it ‘could have killed someone’ when it fell last week. Jean Conway, of Woodlands Road, was originally told by a tree surgeon two years ago that the tree outside her home had died and was in danger of falling, but despite efforts to notify the Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) it was not removed. Stormy conditions brought the tree down on Saturday, January 25, breaking Mrs Conway’s newly constructed front wall and narrowly missing her car. The fallen tree was left strewn across the pavement for 48 hours before contractors removed the trunk and branches – though the stump has been left by the road. The incident comes just three months after Harrow man Donal Drohan was killed when a tree fell on his car in Lower High Street, close to Bushey Arches. Mrs Conway told My Bushey News the tree “could have killed someone”. She said: “It is unbelievable that this has happened. My husband saw it fall and he said it happened rapidly. A few minutes later a woman with a pram walked past; anything could have happened. A tree surgeon, who was attending to my back garden, told me that it was dead two years ago and from that point on I started to talk to the council about it. It was serious at that point but only got worse. “The council did not act responsibly at all on this one,” she added. “It seems people who raise valid concerns are not being listened to. The wall will also need to be rebuilt, it is not just about the money but also the hassle of doing it. I’m surprised that the stump has also been left in the middle of the pavement, it is certainly something that could be tripped over in the dark.” A complaint submitted by Mrs Conway has now been referred to HCC’s highways contractor, Ringway. My Bushey News has contacted Ringway for comment.