Highway street trees in urban/town areas are on a cyclical inspection regime. This is usually every five years. We carry out safety based maintenance following an inspection. Other trees we own (such as our schools’ trees) will be on an inspection regime as well. Times intervals for these vary.
Trees are an important part of our environment, particularly in our town areas. We seek to keep trees and do not subject them to pruning work. This is unless there is a sound arboricultural reason or a safety based requirement. We do not offer a 'by request' pruning service.
Please note, Warwickshire County Council do not allow items to be attached or rested onto County Council / Highway trees without prior permission. This would include, for example, Christmas Lights, Fairy Lights, display boards.
Please use the link below to contact us regarding permission.
Maintenance summary of trees we own
The following list intends to show in what circumstance we would carry out pruning works. We will prioritise some work but consider most work to be ‘routine’. We will add this to existing work requirements.
Issues where we will consider pruning/maintenance
- Fallen or snapped branches
- Trees hit by vehicles
- Low branches (trees hit by vehicles, or below head height or affecting access)
- Trees affecting highway safety or visibility
- Dead or dying trees
- Trees touching properties
- Reported tree root damage to highway surfaces
- Reported tree root damage to property or building
- Trees obscuring street lights/traffic signals/road signs
- Low sprouting growth from the trunk or base of the tree (known as epicormic growth)
Issues where we will not take action to prune trees
- Shade/loss of light to property or garden, including to solar panels
- Fallen leaves, twigs, fruit and seed debris
- Sap or ‘honeydew’
- Bird roosting/fouling and bird nesting
- Satellite/TV reception. Investigate engineering solutions with your TV provider first. There is no right to a TV signal.
- Blocked drains and gutters
- Overhanging branches. A tree owner doesn't have to prune a tree back because its canopy shape means it overhangs your boundary.
- 'Overgrown' trees. Trees taller than the house. Trees are not pruned to control their height or canopy spread. A tree does not become a danger by being large or tall.
- Pollen and other allergies
- Trees touching phone wires
- Trees close to/touching electricity wires (report these to National Grid)
Epicormic growth (sprouting growth from the trunk or base of a tree)
Some trees (lime trees in particular) produce sprouting growth every summer from their trunk or base.
If you live near these trees, you will have noticed that this growth is pruned off every summer as part of an annual programme of removal. These do not need to be reported to us.
If you do want to check if your street is on this annual programme of removal, you can consult a list of streets within the scheme below:
Reporting a tree issue
If your tree issue fits the cases where we will consider pruning you can report it to us.
You can also call:
- 01926 412515 (highways)
- 01926 410410 (non-highways)