Tree falls on road - days after council inspection

Councillor Martin Loftus said if the tree had fallen on a weekday, when there was often queuing traffic, the consequences could have been much more serious

A precariously leaning tree fell across a busy road in Cheshire just days after it was judged to not pose any immediate danger.

When the tree toppled on Sunday in Hartford, Northwich, it damaged walls on either side of the A559, including one at St John's Church.

Local councillor Martin Loftus said: "It fell at about 5pm in an area that is often extremely busy and often has queuing traffic, so we were very, very lucky that nobody was injured or worse."

Cheshire West and Chester Council said that while its inspectors had assessed the tree as "not in imminent danger of falling" conditions had been difficult due to another fallen tree.

St John's Church shared a statement on social media, saying the tree had also damaged some graves and one of the trees in the churchyard, as well as destroying the church gate

The authority said it had advised the landowner to arrange for a tree specialist to look at it "as soon as possible".

David Cheeseman told the BBC he was driving along the road with his family when "it crashed down right in front of us".

"We moved to a safe place and then a vehicle drove into the felled tree whilst it was lying across the road," he added.

The A559 in Hartford, Northwich, was closed following the tree fall

'Anger and anxiety'

Loftus said he had contacted the council on 15 December to be told inspectors had already been out to look at it.

He said the tree had appeared to be leaning at a more severe angle recently, following Storm Darragh.

The councillor added: "I think a lot of the anger and anxiety is driven by what could have happened."

Loftus said he believed it to be the third tree to have fallen in the area over the past four years.

He urged homeowners with large trees to get a survey done if they think they have been damaged or appear to be dangerous in any way.

The council said the tree had since been removed and the road reopened.

The authority said it was liaising with the landowner about other trees "which may require action".