Excessive tree cutting by power company, possible to object?

[88v8]

As I write, the hedge opposite is being decimated by Western Power. Everything cut down to 6ft, some areas well outside the 5m exclusion zone their surveyor mentioned when he called. I had started laying that hedge, now there is nothing left to lay.
On our side of the lane, there is a superb Field Maple that might be in the line of fire, and in our garden an old apple tree and our precious damson.
How can we prevent them cutting what we don't want cut?

Ivor

 

[Owain]

chain yourself naked to the tree and film it for youtube?

speak to the foreman?

 

[Flyfisher]

All I can suggest is to talk to the people doing the work.

Our electricity supply to the house used to be via a couple of telegraph poles and the wires were very close to a tree. Periodically, in high winds, the tree branches would cause the cables to touch and short out. The electricity people would come out and repair the cables but only ever lightly trimmed the tree branches.

During one of their periodic inspections of the cables I spoke with them about the possibility of running the cables underground and removing the poles altogether. They were very helpful and said they would do it at no cost as long as I dug the required trench for their underground conduit, which I duly did.

I wouldn't suggest this as a precedent, just as an example of the value of talking to people as early as possible. Most people are friendly and helpful most of the time.

I don't really know about the legal position but if the cables are not supplying your property but are crossing your property then there should be some sort of easement agreement in place. If so, I would imagine that this would specify what rights the company has to trim back vegetation.

 

[MdB]

I found our power provider very helpful. We had one set of wires moved underground (we dug the trench) but they wouldn't move the other for other reasons. Tree trimming was kept to a minimum on a tree we wanted to keep looking nice whilst others were cut back harder. Bring out the kit kats and most people will be helpful.

 

[CliffordPope]

Any easement will be for the pole, if on your land, not the wires.

We have whatever you call the local-level distribution cables (11Kv ?)crossing one corner of our land, and a pole. We get about £8 pa for the pole. Electricity workers periodically cut any trees in the vicinity.
In the past I have been able to talk to the foreman and negotiate a less savage cut-back, but I was warned that they have tightened up their guidelines and now were entitled to enforce a NO TREE policy either side of the lines to a distance of 2X the height of the wires.
So far they have accepted severe coppicing to a maximum of 6 feet high.

 

[d49xc]

If its 11KV I'm not suprised and I can well understand why they want a clear area below and to the side.

Overhead local 240V house distribution round here which is a 'tree dense' area use something called 'ABC cable' which is a twisted insulated bundle of the three phases + neutral. The house connections into this supply cable are made by Skotchlock type piercing connectors. This stuff is threaded through trees and I'm told pretty well indestructible - I was told it has shear points in it /at junctions for when something really big hits it capable of taking out the poles.
I've seen trees fall/lean on it and Southern Electric simply come up , cut the tree away from the line and move on to next job, while the power remains on all the time. All the old bare wires type distributions were removed some decades ago.

 

[88v8]

Any easement will be for the pole, if on your land, not the wires.

We have whatever you call the local-level distribution cables (11Kv ?)crossing one corner of our land, and a pole. We get about £8 pa for the pole. Electricity workers periodically cut any trees in the vicinity.
In the past I have been able to talk to the foreman and negotiate a less savage cut-back, but I was warned that they have tightened up their guidelines and now were entitled to enforce a NO TREE policy either side of the lines to a distance of 2X the height of the wires.
So far they have accepted severe coppicing to a maximum of 6 feet high.

The farmer across the road was able to sign a paper taking responsibity for a small maple opposite, he wants the shade for his stock, but too late to save one further up that was definitely outside any feasible need for cutting.
Have since found this, which states a separation of 10ft for climbable trees and 30" for non-climbable
http://www.hellistreeconsultants.co.uk/kbi1000032_overhead_power_lines_and_trees.html?topic=1000007
so I'd ask to see their authority for 2 x height, sounds complete bs.

With any luck I shall be able to 'sign for' the large maple and our apple, and if they want to cut the damson I shall require them to climb it first. As it's rather spindly and leaning over a steep drop, that might be a problem.
Will also try the Kitkats.
The good news is that after the current wave of destruction, they probably won't be back for 7-10 years.

Ivor

 

[worms]

It might also be worth checking with your Local Authority to see if they have a forestry officer in the Planning Department who would be able to advise you on the rights of the power company and also able to put a stop to any felling that went beyond the company's statutory powers. I'm not sure quite how all this works in England, but it would probably be the same person who implements Tree Preservation Orders.

 

[Flyfisher]

Overhead local 240V house distribution round here which is a 'tree dense' area use something called 'ABC cable' which is a twisted insulated bundle of the three phases + neutral. The house connections into this supply cable are made by Skotchlock type piercing connectors. This stuff is threaded through trees and I'm told pretty well indestructible - I was told it has shear points in it /at junctions for when something really big hits it capable of taking out the poles.
I've seen trees fall/lean on it and Southern Electric simply come up , cut the tree away from the line and move on to next job, while the power remains on all the time. All the old bare wires type distributions were removed some decades ago.

Or about five year ago in our case. :wink:

Actually, that 'ABC' cable sounds like what EDF suggested for replacing our overhead 240V supply. I think it was already used for the final pole to the house - bare wires to the house not being a great idea! So, given that they were going to replace the cable anyway, they were quite happy to put it underground for us and remove the poles altogether.

 

[CliffordPope]

The distribution lines that cross our land are on wooden poles, I was told bare wires and about 11Kv. These are the ones that the restrictions apply to, something like this:
http://www.nationalgrid.com/NR/rdonlyres/7E0C590C-ABF6-42DF-937F-49098B94C281/1156/ASoPAppendices.pd
There is an illustration on page 83 of the height of vegetation permitted, and the distances. That's for the very high voltages, obviously higher up. The 11Kv rules are more restrictive because it would be quite easy to touch them, eg with a long pole.

The 240 v wires actually attached to the house are insulated, as a previous post says, and pretty fool-proof. Even so, the company insisted on putting orange sleeves on during building work, which I removed afterwards.

But the 240v subsidiary span, from the transformer on the distribution pole to the one before the house, appear to be bare. They spark when cows rub against the supporting stays and wobble the post, jangling the wires.