Trees are a feature in our most attractive residential roads but the problems of root heave often make pavements bumpy and uneven, and sometimes unsafe.

You have been contacting us about the root heave problems in Bickerton and Stapleton Roads since the end of last year. Tarmacking over the top doesn’t always do the job.

Officers from two council departments have recently agreed to come out and assess the problem near the Old Road end of Bickerton Road. They agree that the footpaths need to be excavated to undertake a full repair, and then the tree officer will try to prune the roots if this is possible or at worst fell the tree and replace it along with root barriers to encourage it to root more deeply. This procedure isn’t carried out very often as it costs so much, so we are fortunate that this has been scheduled following our persistent reporting.