A tall conifer part way through being dismantled, the climber high on the bare stem with the crown already removed

Storm damage, made safe first.

A tree that has come down in the night is a different job from one you have been meaning to deal with. The first visit is about making it safe.

What we deal with after a blow

Storm work is unpredictable by definition, so it is priced on what we find rather than from a list.

  • Windblown trees across drives, gardens, fences and outbuildings
  • Hung-up limbs caught in a neighbouring crown, which are the dangerous ones
  • Split stems and torn limbs where the tear runs down into the trunk
  • Partly uprooted trees still standing, with the root plate lifting
  • Making safe first, then clearing properly once nobody is at risk
  • Photographs of the damage as we find it, for an insurance claim
Large trunk sections cut and stacked on a lawn in front of a house after a tree came down

What to do before anyone arrives

Mostly it is about staying away from it.

  • Keep clear underneath

    A hung-up limb can come down with no warning at all. Rope the area off if you can and keep children and dogs out of it.

  • Do not touch wires

    A tree on a power line is the network operator's job, not ours. Call 105 and they will attend, free of charge.

  • Photograph it

    Before anything is moved. Insurers ask, and the pictures are easier to take now than to recreate later.

  • Check the whole tree

    A tree that has lost one limb in a gale often has another one cracked. Worth looking up before you decide it is over.

  • Tell us the access

    Whether a truck can get in decides a lot about how quickly it can be cleared.

  • Your side or theirs

    If it came from next door, the tree is still the owner's responsibility. We can speak to them directly if that is easier.

Tree down, or a limb hanging?

Ring rather than email. Tell us what it is sitting on and whether anybody has to walk underneath it.

Questions about this job

After a big blow everyone is ringing at once, so we prioritise anything that is actually dangerous: a tree on a house, a limb hanging over a path, a stem blocking a road. Tell us what it is threatening and we will give you a straight answer about timing rather than a vague one.

Often, where a tree has damaged a building, a fence or a car. Policies vary and the clearing of the tree itself is treated differently by different insurers. Take photographs before anything is moved and ring your insurer early.

Do not go near it, and do not let anyone else either. Ring 105, which connects you to your local network operator free of charge. They deal with trees on lines and they will attend. Once the line is made safe, we can clear the rest.

Responsibility stays with the owner of the tree. In practice, after a storm, the quickest route is usually a conversation rather than a letter. We are happy to quote to whoever ends up paying.