Emergency and storm damage.
A tree across the road at two in the morning does not wait for office hours.
If a tree is blocking a road, resting on a building or hanging over a footpath, ring rather than email. We carry chainsaws, lighting towers and chapter 8 traffic management, and we work through the night when a road needs clearing. For anything touching a building or a power line, make the area safe and keep people away first.
What to do before we arrive
Keep everyone well clear, and treat any cable the tree is touching as live. If a tree is on power lines, ring the emergency number for the distribution network operator before you ring us. In this part of Hampshire that is SSEN on 105, which is free from any phone.
If the tree is blocking a public highway, report it to the council or, if it is dangerous and traffic is still moving, to the police on 101. Do not try to move it yourself. A tree under tension will move unpredictably when it is cut and that is how people get hurt.
If it is safe to do so, photograph the damage before anything is moved. Your insurer will want it.
What counts as an emergency
A tree or large limb down on a road, drive or footpath. A tree leaning on a roof, wall or conservatory. A visible crack or tear in a major limb over something you care about. A tree that has partly uprooted and is being held up by another tree, which is the most dangerous of the lot.
A tree that has dropped a few small branches in a gale and is otherwise fine is not an emergency, and we will tell you so rather than charge you an out of hours rate for it.
Insurance work
Storm damage is usually covered by buildings insurance where a tree has hit a structure, though cover for simply removing a fallen tree from the garden varies a lot between policies. We provide a written, itemised report with photographs that you can send straight to your insurer.
The short version
Common questions
Do you charge more for emergency callouts?
Out of hours work costs more than the same job booked in for a Tuesday, because it is out of hours. We tell you the figure on the phone before we set off, not after we have finished.
My neighbour’s tree has fallen into my garden. Who pays?
Generally the tree remains the responsibility of the owner of the land it grew on, but in practice it depends on the policies involved and whether the tree was known to be defective. Get photographs, tell both insurers, and let them settle it. We can quote either party.
Can you make it safe now and finish later?
Usually yes, and often that is the sensible order. We remove the immediate danger, leave the site secure, and come back to do the tidy-up and any remaining work in daylight at a normal rate.
Not sure if this is what you need?
Describe the tree and what is worrying you about it. We will tell you what the options are and roughly what each one costs, including the option of doing nothing.