17 Jul 2014 Michael Arthur Warren · Prevention of Future Deaths report Berkshire
View report summary
Concerns raised 6 Lack of clear, detailed guidance for Local Authorities on highway inspection of trees View source Highway inspections conducted at speeds that reduce the likelihood of identifying tree hazards View source Absence of dedicated inspections of trees abutting the highway View source Limited training of Highway Inspectors in identifying tree hazards View source Lack of active management and professional review of trees close to the highway View source Lack of adequate guidance for Highway Inspectors on identifying tree hazards View source See 3 more concerns
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements No action or position from this recipient is clearly linked to the concerns in this report.
×
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. The report was sent to Bracknell Forest Borough Council; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Lack of clear, detailed guidance for Local Authorities on highway inspection of trees
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.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Bracknell Forest Borough Council; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Highway inspections conducted at speeds that reduce the likelihood of 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.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Bracknell Forest Borough Council; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Absence of dedicated inspections of trees abutting the highway
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.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Bracknell Forest Borough Council; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Limited training of Highway Inspectors in 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.
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Bracknell Forest Borough Council; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Lack of active management and professional review of trees close to the highway
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 .
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Bracknell Forest Borough Council; that does not assign responsibility.
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.
” Open source report
16 Jul 2014 Silvia Eileen Taylor · Prevention of Future Deaths report Surrey
View report summary
Concerns raised 2 Delays in acting on unsuccessful attempts to establish contact View source Failure to convey difficulties in establishing telephone contact to the family View source
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statements No action or position from this recipient is clearly linked to the concerns in this report.
×
AI-generated summary
Silvia Eileen Taylor · 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
Silvia Eileen Taylor activated her emergency pendant at home after experiencing stomach pains and requested a doctor. Several attempts to contact her by telephone were unsuccessful, and she was found dead at home after entry was forced. The concerns were that the unsuccessful contact attempts were not acted on for several hours and that the difficulties establishing telephone contact were not conveyed to her family.
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. The report was sent to Bracknell Forest Borough Council; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Delays in acting on unsuccessful attempts to establish contact
Wider context from the report “• Although initial reports from Mrs Taylor gave no concern for the need for urgent medical attention, unsuccessful attempts to contact her were not acted upon for several hours .
” Open source report × Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Bracknell Forest Borough Council; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation Failure to convey difficulties in establishing telephone contact to the family
Wider context from the report “• The difficulties in establishing telephone contact with Mrs Taylor, were not conveyed to the family .
” Open source report
Pin
Request correction
Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations