RESIDENTS who banded together to clear a huge fallen oak tree from a busy road have criticised Barnsley Council for its handling of the situation.
The tree, thought to be more than 100-years-old, was uprooted by strong gales and fell onto Burton Road, Monk Bretton, last weekend.
While council workers were quick to clear part of the tree and get the road open again, their work has been criticised by a group of people who took on the task of removing the significant remnants left behind. The mammoth tree trunk, chopped back as much as possible by the volunteers, still overhangs the pavement - with a large branch covering the entrance to a nearby alleyway, and smaller branches and stones from the wall the tree fell over littering the pavement.
John Dunford, 58, led the recovery efforts with his son Matthew.
“My concern is that the council haven’t been out since to make this safe. It’s a real hazard,” said John.
“This is one very busy road - for pensioners and people who are unsteady on their feet, they still have to struggle across the rough terrain left on the pavement.
“There’s a ginnel that I’ve seen people trying to walk through, but the part that’s hanging over that is very unsafe.”
Starting with John and Matthew, around a dozen people over a three-and-a-half hour period came to help with the fallen tree, including roofer Ian Hitchen, who offered his firm’s equipment.
“It was a really good day, everyone got involved and did their bit,” John said.
“Police drove by and were giving us the thumbs up - because they knew we had to do it, and it was a job well done.”
The council were unavailable to comment.
