Shocked residents survey the damage. photo: Stuart Littleford.
Three cars have been crushed by a huge tree that has toppled over in Uppermill.
The tree was uprooted at around 11.15am today, due to the high winds and rain, Saddleworth News arrived at the scene within minutes of it happening as shocked residents came out of their homes just off Den Lane, to survey the damage.
The owner of the red car told us she was distraught and said the car had only just been given to her by a relative and she needed it to transport her husband to and from hospital appointments.
A kind neighbour offered her a cup of tea and helped to explain about her insurance.
As far as we are aware there have been no injuries, but a fourth car was slightly damaged.
A car given by a relative is badly damaged. Photo: Stuart Littleford.
The huge tree toppled by the winds. Photo: Stuart Littleford.
Great pictures as ever Stuart! All that damage was sustained by the toppling of just ONE tree? Has there been any other damage caused to property in Saddleworth you know of? I’ve just been out and seen a few small felled trees and bushes, but nothing on the magnitude of the one you captured on Den Lane.
Guess the council or the water board or whoever has failed to make its land “safe” there are three other trees in the picture that look like they are on the edge of the same fate. What the hell are we paying for, guess the owners of the cars are asking the same question.
Yes indeed great pictures - it’s good to see Saddleworth News covering local events like this and I’m grateful that Stuart has taken on the mantle and is providing this service to us.
I think in fairness, there are thousands of other trees in Saddleworth that could be on the edge of the same fate.
Many of which have also stood for tens if not hundreds of years.
Sometimes things in life are just accidents.
I do feel sometimes some people are too quick to look for blame and compensation.
After all the strong winds came from a storm, which we all know could have been set off by a butterfly in China, so maybe that’s where the blame should lie!
Of course, public safety is important, but chopping down trees in case they fall over is not the answer - it’d make more sense to tear up and close down the roads first - where there’s a much higher risk to public safety
And who says we live in a compensation culture?!
Exactly!!!!! Yet we are being taxed by local and central G’ment to “make us safe” in a world that is inherently random! Cigs, booze, road safety, now fatty food….. The list goes on…. I wholly accept the damage and risks I take in life, and what life brings to me, yet current culture is to tax me ostensibly to take away those risks. Those that govern can’t have it both ways… Ok take the tax to “make safe” but accept responsibility if it goes wrong. Yes it is a very silly argument, yet G’ment takes a hefty premium from all of us in the name of “our safety” yet the “charge” comes with no guarantee, this incident is a perfect example…. Thank God no-one was killed, and a “brew” made it better
I’m not a big fan of government taxes myself, but I think I must have missed the one that we pay to protect us from trees falling in storms.
I might be a bit naive here, but am I missing the connection, or is this just an excuse for an anti-government and taxes rant?
…in which case whilst I agree, I think there’s a anti-rant tax that applies - so I’d better take it no further.
Erm are you aware that both Oldham and the parish council have policy on self seeded trees, and ergo spend our money to manage and cull trees that are growing in inappropriate or even dangerous places….
To be honest, no I’m not aware of that policy. But I’m no expert on council policies
Having said that, I’d have thought that both councils’ remits only extended to cover trees on public land.
The tree in question here, like many in Saddleworth, was on private land.
So I’m still not really seeing where the councils, government or taxes come into this
To me it seems pretty much like a straight matter of private accidental damage where thankfully nobody was hurt
Phil,
I fail to see how the position of this and tens of thousands of other trees on the canal bank is inappropriate or dangerous. Maybe the millions of trees that blew down in the great storm of 1987 were similarly dangerous, I mean it is clearly obvious that given the weather we have in the UK that surely a government department must be able to forsee the chances of it blowing down?!?
Maybe you wish to chop down all the trees and traverse around the glorious countryside of Saddleworth without a tree in sight, after all this is the only way you can guarantee one not falling down on a car!!!
Hi Nick,
Well said on both of your broad points:
Having worked with Stuart, I can assure readers that Saddleworth News couldn’t be in better hands.
I also agree with your point about us (the general public) being quick to blame local government (who have, by-and-large, had their budgets slashed, without a say, by central government) for most problems in our neighbourhood (of which they’re often to blame), but there was little that could be done in this case. They can’t go around surveying and reinforcing every tree in Oldham. You have to say that the owner of the car shouldn’t have parked there, if it looked that dangerous. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
Keep up the good work Stuart, you’re a credit to Saddleworth and we’re lucky to have ya!
Cheers
Sam
1) no I do not think it a good idea to chop down every tree I quite like breathing
))
2) I do not think that land is “private” it is either council or British water ways or whatever they call themselves now either way they are funded by “us”
3) central government may have “cut funding”, but “we” still pay for the basics.
4) a tree in the middle of a field has a root ball that is around the same circumference of its branches and therefore is rissilient to wind from any direction. A tree on the edge of a waterway has good roots in the soil, but cannot grow roots into the water therefore it is un-balanced and susceptible to wind from one direction ie across the waterway. This is evident here as the tree fell away from the water. The councillor in the video illuded to this (roots undermined by river).
5) now the powers that be have recognised this, they have also “trimmed” other trees near-by.
Phil,
The land is owned privately by Casey’s - they acted very responsibly, knocked on doors to check people were alright, provided courtesy cars (with Casey logos) to the owners of the damaged ones
They provided workmen the very next day, wearing Casey uniforms and driving Casey vans to chop up the tree and pop the small bits through a shredder with a Casey written on it
They provided fork lift with a Casey logo that shifted the logs onto a low loader that had a Casey logo on it.
It’s private private land, honest, I don’t work for the establishment (or Casey!)
I’m not making this up, nor is this some government conspiracy, it’s just a tree that blew over in the wind - somebody was there and somebody heard it - that’s all.
I admire your passion, but please, for the love of god, let the whole anti-establishment rant go on this one and save it for something else where the establishment are actually involved and deserve a good ranting about!
Am not convinced
)).. Done a google on casey the company, Oldham Metropolitan Bourough is listed as a “client” and or “partner” simply put, “contractors” paid by the council to do the work the council can no longer do because it doesn’t have the staff…..
Casey list as their clients, amongst others:- Blackburn and Darwin council, Blackpool council, Bolton council, Bradford council, Burnley council, Calderdail council, Cheshire east council, Cheshire west council, Preston council, Leeds council, Lichfield council, Liverpool council, Manchester council, Oldham council, Preston council, Rossendail council, Salford council, Stafford council, Trafford council, Wigan council, West Lancashire council………….
Rolls eyes,
OK - have confirmed with several of my neighbours affected by this incident:
Casey are wholly the private owners of the land.
So, it’s definite - this has nothing to do with the council or the government.
Anyway, I’m afraid your time is up, this is only the five minute introductory argument
- if you’d like the full blown anti-establishment row, you’ll to go here: http://www.saddleworthnews.com/?p=12611 and pay £10!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQFKtI6gn9Y …familiar?