No 'past issues' with tree that killed man in tent

The tree was regularly inspected due to its position in an area frequented by walkers

No issues had previously been identified with a tree that killed a homeless man after one of its branches fell on his tent in Lancashire during high winds, a council has said.

Police found the as-yet-unnamed rough sleeper, who was in his 40s, dead in Revoe Park off Central Drive in Blackpool shortly before 05:00 BST on Monday.

The tree was one of those given a visual safety check each month by Blackpool Council, which owns the park, due to its position in an area popular with walkers.

The council said no concerns had been raised either during its recent inspections or in its last town-wide tree survey, which took place back in 2022.

The man's death was not being treated as suspicious and a file was being passed to the coroner, police said.

Meanwhile, none of Lancashire's councils have indicated they plan to change how often they check trees following the death, which is the third of its kind in the county in less than a year.

Madia Kauser was killed when a tree collapsed in Witton Country Park in Blackburn

The Local Democracy Reporting Service approached all 15 local authorities in Lancashire – and of the 11 who responded, none said they intended to rethink the frequency of their tree inspection regimes.

The vast majority inspect their trees on a rolling basis, with those in the busiest areas being assessed more often than others.

Councils are only responsible for trees on land they own or control.

In the case of Lancashire County Council, the authority takes care of most of those within defined highway areas in its patch, which excludes Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen.

However, arrangements are in place which see some district authorities take on responsibility for roadside trees.

Duty of care

Last month, 32-year-old Madia Kauser was killed by a falling tree branch while walking in Blackburn's Witton Country Park with her husband and two children.

In December, Paul Fiddler died after a tree fell on his van during Storm Darragh while he was travelling along the A59 in Longton, close to Lancashire Constabulary's headquarters.

Elsewhere, PR boss Jennifer Higgins, known as Jen, was killed by a falling branch in the Didsbury area of Manchester earlier this month.

The safety of trees is almost always the responsibility of the owner of the land on which they are rooted.

Owners have a legal duty of care and are obliged to make all reasonable efforts to ensure any foreseeable hazards are identified and made safe.