A COUNCILLOR took matters into her own hands by cutting down overhanging trees after residents raised safety concerns.

Coun Victoria Felton, who was elected in May, said residents had complained about the trees at the side of Rotherham Road which forced pedestrians to step out into the road to avoid their branches. They also raised concerns about branches of a large tree that could cause damage to large vehicles, such as lorries, as they used the busy route.

In order to try and make the area safer for both pedestrians and road users, Coun Felton spent the day cutting down some of the overhanging branches.

“Part of my campaign is to make every street in Monk Bretton cleaner and free from weeds - so far I have done 17 streets and cleaned them of glass,” she added.

“I’ve been in contact with Keith since February and I went down to see how bad the trees had become. I went back again to try and cut some of the branches down to make it easier for people to use the pavement.

“But I can’t do it all and some of the branches are leaning on people’s homes and causing damage. Something needs to be done about this before someone gets hurt.”