Bristol Oak tree roots redirected using underground resin

The tree was due to be removed until locals objected

Specialised work has been carried out to prevent a 100-year-old oak tree from damaging local housing.

The tree on Ashley Down Road in Bristol was due to be felled because of the danger its extensive roots posed to buildings nearby.

Campaigners occupied the branches of the oak tree in 2021 to stop it from being felled by the local council.

A resin has now been injected into the ground to prevent movement and prevent further damage from the roots.

The resin is injected below ground to protect the building from the tree roots

The tree was causing significant subsidence damage to a nearby house and so felling the tree was thought to be unavoidable.

Now a specialised firm has been brought in by Bristol City Council with a method that protects the nearby buildings and the tree.

"What we're doing is injecting a geo-polymer material beneath the foundations of the property which will compact the soils and will mean the tree does not have to felled," explained Aleister Willis from Geobear, the company doing the work.

The roots of the oak had been migrating underneath the foundations of the building and because of the dry summer trees are having to reach further underground to reach the required moisture.

"Once the resin is in place there is literally no where for them to go under the property, it's a win for everyone involved; for the home owner and the tree that can stay in place and not be felled," Mr Willis added.