Fury at council as tree falls into homes smashing windows and ‘terrifying’ residents
A homeowner has been left “deeply frustrated” at a council after a tree on a street fell into two homes and smashed windows.
The large oak tree fell into two houses in Newquay Road, Catford, on Saturday at around 10.10pm.
A tenant in one of the properties was in bed at the time as a branch came crashing through the window. The London Fire Brigade was called as the tree had to be cut down to allow tenants to leave the property.
Rhian Bebb, 64, is the landlord of one of the properties and lives in Leicester. She rents the property out and was not there at the time of the incident but said her tenants were “too overwhelmed to talk about it or to relive their experience”.
“As you can imagine, having a tree come crashing though your window late at night is a deeply frightening experience, especially if your bed is near the window and you could have easily been speared by a falling branch,” said Mrs Bebb.
“The tree went through the roof and there are windows broken. It’s so lucky none of the tenants were injured.”
The landlord claims Lewisham council, who are responsible for the upkeep of the tree, are yet to contact her days after the incident despite her attempts to contact them.
“The council’s lack of response or duty of care is truly shocking,” said Mrs Bebb. “They didn’t care that our tenants were left vulnerable and cold with no glass in the bedroom window. We had to organise the boarding up ourselves.
“We were sent to different departments every time we called and left a number of messages with the environmental department. We even called the emergency line and couldn’t speak to anyone.
“It’s deeply frustrating that we can’t get through to anyone, they don’t seem bothered at all. It’s not every day a tree falls on a house, you’d think they’d want to reassure people.”
A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said: “Firefighters were called to tree that had fallen against two properties on Newquay Road in Catford on August 5.
“There were no reports of any injuries. A crew made the scene safe before leaving the incident in the care of a tree surgeon.
“The brigade was called at 10.12pm and the incident was over for firefighters by 2350. A fire engine from Lee Green Fire Station attended the scene.”
A spokeswoman for Lewisham council said: “The tree at 20 Newquay Road in SE6 unfortunately came down last Saturday during the high winds caused by Storm Antoni, a named event with weather warnings issued.
“It caused some damage to the property nearby and the owner and London Fire Brigade contacted the council’s emergency line.
“As a result, our out of hours contractors, Connick Treecare, visited the site quickly to make it safe and remove the tree.
“This tree was last inspected as part of our 4 year cycle back in August 2021 and was due for inspection again in August 2024. There was no cause for concern with this tree and we are confident that our robust checking processes for street trees in the borough have been followed.”
Pictured top: The fallen tree in Newquay Road and a broken window in Mrs Bebbs property (Picture: Rhian Bebb)
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