Retired Havant postman takes the council to court over tree roots he fears could topple his garage
Trevor Lock is spending almost £1,000 to go to court in a bid to prove roots under his patio at his Elmleigh Road home belong to Havant Borough Council.
The authority cut down three of its trees lining the brick wall outside his home. Mr Lock, 64, insists the roots he has uncovered, and which he says have damaged his patio, belong to the same trees and wants compensation.
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Hide AdThe saga began five years ago when Mr Lock called on the authority to trim the trees after their branches continuously hit his Havant home just yards away in high winds.
But the fallout now, he fears, could be far worse than a few broken roof tiles if the council does not accept it owns the roots that are wreaking havoc.
‘I just do not understand how the council can deny liability,' he said.
‘A blind man can see where the roots are coming from and it seems whoever owns the trees is responsible for the damage caused by their roots.
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Hide Ad‘Now the council has removed the trees, my concern is that there are two massive tree stumps within inches of my garage wall. The garage will probably fall down.’
A structural engineer told Mr Lock the roots would leave gaping cavities beneath his garage if they were to degrade or be pulled out.
Mr Lock has also removed a section of his patio to follow the roots, which he claims have raised ‘six metres' of his garden slabs by about an inch.
His court claim, for full compensation for expert identification of the roots and repairs for damage they have caused, has ‘scared’ his 62-year-old wife Hazel.
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Hide AdThe retired bank manage said: ‘Even though the problem appears to be more with our garage, I just don’t want our house to fall down.
‘This is somewhere we want to live for the rest of our lives and Havant Borough Council are not helping us.’
Mr Lock has sent samples to a Berkshire firm for identification.
The council said its insurers are dealing and it was unable to comment.