Fury as landmark tree gets the chop
L12-1074 Pink tree cut down along Riddy Lane, Luton. Connie Primmer JR 35 3.9.12
A huge tree in Riddy Lane was mistakenly cut down by council workers who were meant to chop off a dead branch on Friday.
The tree had stood for more than 35 years in the road and was described as a landmark by local people.
The remaining 3ft stump was painted florescent pink by the council for health and safety reasons, to “prevent slips, trips and falls”.
Nearby resident Terry Freeman said: “It’s a shock to see it gone. My neighbour tried to stop them when she realised they were cutting off more than the dead branch, but they wouldn’t listen. It’s a worry that these idiots are going round doing whatever they want.
“They’ve painted it pink, which was the colour of the tree blossom. I was a bit peeved when I saw it so I phoned the council and was told it was a mistake because they are ‘understaffed and underworked.’
“It’s a big tree, it was like a landmark and now there’s nothing there. I can’t believe these lads with chainsaws could just turn up and chop it down. It looks strange, there’s a great big hole in the landscape now.”
A Luton Borough Council spokesperson said: “Unfortunately the work order to remove a dead branch was misinterpreted and regretfully the tree was removed by mistake. The Parks service apologises for this error and will ensure that the tree is replaced this autumn. This was an isolated incident and we are not aware of any other mistakes of this nature.”
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Weather for Luton
Sunday 26 May 2013
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 5 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
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Temperature: 7 C to 16 C
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