CAMPAIGNERS in Keelby are up in arms over plans to remove an established Hawthorn tree from the village "to prevent children being hurt" – despite the fact there have been no reported accidents.
John Hodson, of the Brightening Keelby Campaign, said the village's parish council had voted to spend £895 on removing the tree, after a concerned resident said children had been seen climbing it.
He said the resident – who has not been named – feared one of the youngsters could be injured should they fall out of the tree, which is on parish council land between the village green and Wivell Drive.
However, he branded the decision "ludicrous" adding: "There have been no accidents whatsoever relating to it and residents have not been consulted on the decision at all."
He also criticised plans to cut back a hedge separating council-owned land from an area of private land, adding: "It's the nesting season."
His comments were echoed by villager Mark Tyszka, who added: "There have been a number of accidents on the climbing frame.
"Do we take that down, too, to stop the children falling off?
"I would be very concerned if they went ahead and cut down the tree. It would be a loss to the community – particularly the children."
He also questioned the wisdom of trimming the hedge, saying he believed the plans were the result of a resident complaining it left their property in the shade.
Mr Tyszka said: "It is a lot of our precept to spend on one resident."
Fellow resident Margaret Moorcroft added: "A local qualified tree surgeon advised us only part of the tree needed to be removed."
She claimed Mr Hodson's offer to remove the branch himself had also been turned down.
However, vice-chairman of the parish council Councillor Geoff Hirst said the council had since decided no work would be done until the autumn.
He said: "We have postponed any action until the autumn.
"People always have the opportunity to object until the thing has actually happened."
He confirmed he was not aware of any accidents relating to the tree, however he said the council's reasoning was on grounds of "health and safety".
He said: "My understanding is that children have been seen to climb the tree and, therefore, there is a risk of accidents happening.
"This has to be taken into consideration."
Councillor Hirst added work had already been done to trim the hedge last autumn, in order to re-establish the boundary between the council-owned land and the private land next to it.
He said prior to this, the hedge had not been trimmed for up to two years, but when the work had been carried out, not as much had been removed as had been originally planned.
What do you think? viewpoint@grimsbytelegraph.co.uk