Hartlepool man fined in court for carrying out unauthorised work on tree

The Hartlepool Borough Council prosecution is the first successful case of its kind by a Tees Valley authority.

Abdul Khalik, 52, of Hutton Avenue, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to carrying out unauthorised works on a horse chestnut tree in nearby St Paul’s Road “in such a manner as to be likely to destroy it”.

He was fined £510, ordered to pay a £204 victim surcharge and £300 in costs and received a criminal record for the offence after the case was dealt with at Teesside Magistrates’ Court.

The £1,014 bill must be paid in £100 monthly instalments.

Kieran Bostock, the council's director of neighbourhoods and regulatory services, said afterwards: “This landmark prosecution demonstrates Hartlepool’s strong and unwavering commitment to protecting and preserving our trees and our conservation areas, which are vital to our environment, heritage and community wellbeing.”

Trees within conservation areas are protected under Section 211 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 even if they don’t have a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) attached to them.

Anyone wishing to carry out work on these trees must give the council six weeks written notice to allow time for the trees’ value and condition to be properly assessed.

If anyone planning work on a tree in a conservation area, they must notify the council before starting.

Further information is available at https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/trees/tree-preservation-orders-conservation-areas

To check whether a property is in a conservation area, go to https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/heritage-conservation/conservation-areas-hartlepool

For further advice or guidance, contact the council’s arboricultural officer Scott Watson at [email protected]