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CALLS have been made for urgent action to remove dead and diseased trees from Eastbourne’s streets amid warnings someone could be seriously injured if more are allowed to fall.
Conservative councillors say two recent incidents have highlighted the potential danger, including a large branch which fell onto and damaged a parked car in Milnthorpe Road.
Last week, a tree in Ratton also came down across a pavement after councillors say concerns about it had first been reported in 2023.
They claim both trees had been reported before they failed and are now calling for potentially dangerous trees close to homes, roads and busy pedestrian routes to be prioritised.
The warning comes following a change in responsibility for Eastbourne’s highway trees.
Since April 1, responsibility has rested with East Sussex County Council after Eastbourne Borough Council ended its role as a subcontractor for the service.
Eastbourne’s most recent survey identified almost 100 priority diseased elm trees across the town, including 54 in Meads, 21 in Old Town, 11 in Upperton and eight in Ratton.
East Sussex County Council is now beginning the process of letting a contract to remove around half of those trees.
However, councillors say they are concerned about how long other dead and diseased trees could remain in place while the removal programme is carried out.
Meads councillor Robert Smart said Eastbourne’s tree population had been badly affected by Dutch elm disease and ash dieback, but residents should not have to wait months for obviously dead trees to be dealt with.
He said: “When a tree is clearly dead, people reasonably expect action before it comes down, not afterwards.
“The incident in Milnthorpe Road shows what can happen when that does not happen. We have had cars damaged already. Next time, it could be a pedestrian.
“There is no excuse for leaving clearly unsafe trees standing.”
Ratton councillor David Small said the tree which fell last week had previously been reported to Eastbourne Borough Council in 2023.
He said: “It was pure luck that it did not hit a passer-by or fall the other way onto the nearby house.
“Residents are regularly reporting tree concerns to me and rightly expect a swift response.”
Cllr Small also criticised the way responsibility for the service had transferred between the two authorities, claiming it had contributed to a backlog of work.
He added: “We are calling on both councils to treat the risk from dead trees seriously and to bring forward works on those next to homes and busy walking routes.”
An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “Since Eastbourne Borough Council transferred responsibility for trees in the borough back to East Sussex County Council in April, we have been working to establish a programme of priority work.
“The programme, which currently includes 92 trees, is being developed using Eastbourne Borough Council’s most recent survey data and information from our own professional arboricultural urban survey, and that work is ongoing.
“The county council is currently completing the tendering process for the removal of 47 high-priority elm trees and will deal with other diseased elms noted in surveys on a priority basis.”
