Recurring concern

Unreliable inspection and management of diseased trees near highways

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First reported 17 Jul 2014•Latest report 12 Jul 2017

Definition

What this concern includes

Includes failures in the dedicated inspection, disease or defect identification, professional review, risk assessment and urgent management or removal of trees abutting or overhanging public highways, including inadequate inspector competence or guidance where these directly impair that process.

Not included

  • Excludes general tree maintenance or arboricultural deficiencies where the tree is not near a public highway or public route and no road-user safety risk is identified.
  • Excludes generic highway inspection, road design, signage, drainage and vegetation-sightline deficiencies where diseased or defective trees are not the material safety condition.
  • Excludes uncontrolled roadside obstacles where the tree hazard is not connected to inspection, diagnosis, professional review or management of a diseased or defective tree.
  • Excludes isolated tree damage or falling-tree outcomes where no continuing deficiency in the dedicated inspection or management process is asserted.
Reports
2

Distinct published reports

Individual concerns
2

A report can raise multiple concerns

Date range
2014–2017

First to latest report issue date

Stated actions
0

Described in published responses

Reports over time

Reports over time

Reports about this concern issued each year.

* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.

Most frequent recipients

Most frequent recipients

Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council1
Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation1
Forestry Commission1
National Tree Safety Group1
Recipient name withheld1

Concerns and responses across reports

Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

  1. West Yorkshire Eastern

    AI-generated summary

    Elaine Edith Davison · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Elaine Edith Davison was fatally injured when part of a tree fell onto the car in which she was travelling as a passenger during a storm on 11 November 2010. The principal concern was that the tree had visible defects and longstanding decay that should have led to closer inspection and urgent felling, but its condition was not identified before it fell.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Failure to undertake sufficiently thorough examination and testing of trees with visible defects or recognized fault or disease for Polyporus Squamosus

    Wider context from the report

    “(2) Post incident the tree was examined by an expert Arboriculturist who determined that the tree was severely decayed at 8.5 metres in height with insufficient sound timber at this point to support the weight of the tree. The decay was caused by a fungal infection Polyporus Squamosus. The decay was longstanding and progressive. The decay was hidden from sight, but the tree contained visible defects worthy of closer inspection, which would have led to the discovery of this condition, and a recommendation for it to be felled as a matter of urgency. (3) I am informed that your view is that the risk of people being killed by falling trees is extremely low. In fact one in ten million, but you recognise the duty of holders who are required to take reasonable steps to minimise the risk. Notwithstanding this I recommend that your organisation has a major influence nationally on tree safety, bring to the attention of those who are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of trees, particularly in places frequented and used by the public, and for trees that are abut and overhang a highway, when such a tree or trees are recognised as having fault or disease, that such trees are automatically examined and tested for Polyporus Squamosus and if such a disease is identified then the tree should be recommended for felling. (4) It is apparent that the condition Polyporus Squamosus may well be mistaken for the more common condition Phytophthora Pseudomonas or bleeding canker, and the urgency of felling might not be considered. ”

    Source location

    Elaine Edith Davison · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 1 · concerns

    Open source report

  2. Berkshire

    AI-generated summary

    Michael Arthur Warren · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Michael Arthur Warren died from serious head injuries after a large branch from an oak tree fell onto the roof of the car he was driving on 5 October 2012. The concerns included limited training and guidance for highway inspectors assessing tree hazards, insufficiently targeted tree inspections, a lack of clear national guidance for local authorities, and the absence of professional management of the landowner’s trees near the highway.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Lack of adequate guidance for Highway Inspectors on identifying tree hazards

    Wider context from the report

    “(1) The evidence at the Inquest revealed that Bracknell Forest Council employ Highways Inspectors to carry out driven and walked inspections in order to attempt to identify any potential hazards that might impact adversely on road users. (2) The Highway Inspectors were expected to identify a range of potential problems including potholes in the road, damaged or obscured signage and potential hazards from trees abutting the highway which were often of considerable height. There was little by way of guidance given to Highways Inspectors who had developed their own system of drive-by investigations conducted at a speed rarely less than thirty miles per hour. (3) The evidence highlighted the limited nature of training provided to Highway Inspectors in identifying potential hazards from trees. The two Inspectors who conducted a drive-by survey two days before the branch fell and killed Mr Warren and who had noted nothing of concern, had not completed any form of tree training since a two day course some seven years earlier. Another Highway Inspector who gave evidence at the Inquest, had never attended a formal training course with regard to tree hazards. (4) There is therefore a need for appropriate guidelines to be provided by Bracknell Forest Council to Highway Inspectors to ensure that they are properly trained in tree issues; that they have an appropriate system of work that ensures that they drive at a speed appropriate to maximise the chances of identifying tree hazards and that there should be a series of inspections which are limited to only the inspection of trees. (5) The evidence also revealed that there was very little by way of clear, detailed guidance available to Local Authorities as regards the appropriate systems of highway inspection of trees abutting the highway. There is a potential need for clear direction from a suitably qualified source to assist Local Authorities in this crucial role. (6) The owner of the land on which the relevant oak tree stood lived abroad and had no arrangements for professional review of the trees on his property, in particular those that were close to the highway and therefore a potential hazard to road users. It was of concern that the lack of active management of the owner’s land continued some two and a half years after Mr Warren’s death. ”

    Source location

    Michael Arthur Warren · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 1 · concerns

    Open source report
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Data last updated 7 September 2026