Residents unable to return home for days after tree collapses on their homes in Royton

Two neighbours have been left unable to return home after a tree came crashing down on their houses in Royton during Storm Claudia.

The tree collapsed from Dogford Park onto the homes on Rochdale Road during the ferocious rainstorm on Friday, November 14. 

The residents were later instructed to ‘leave the home’ by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service over concerns the tree could have caused structural damage. 

Susan Jenkins, 72, was inside her house when the tree collapsed. 

Susan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Nothing like this has ever happened before.

"We’ve had trees down, but it’s never caused damage like this.

“[When it happened] I heard a sound and the dog jumped up, so I went out to have a look.

"The first thing I noticed was the car was really dirty and then I thought – hold on a second, what are all these branches doing here?

“Then I realised the whole tree had come down.”   

The Royton pensioner has had to decamp to her grandson’s house for several days, with no idea when she and her elderly dachshund Brutus might be able to return. 

“I feel sick because of it,” Susan (pictured below) said.

“I just keep shaking. It’s really disruptive.” 

When the LDRS arrived at the scene, tree surgeons hired by the council were working on removing branches from the fallen tree – but extricating the trunk from the roof of the house will be ‘challenging’, as it could cause further damage. 

“We keep trying to call the council, but they’ve been quite dismissive,” Leanne Jenkins, 43, who has been supporting her mother-in-law Susan.

“We were told the tree was healthy and it was the waterlogged soil that gave way – so it wasn’t their liability.

"We still don’t know if they’ll remove the trunk.” 

After the LDRS contacted the local authority, a spokesperson confirmed they were ‘in the process of arranging a crane’ that would remove the rest of the tree as soon as possible – but that this could take a number of days. 

Local ward councillor Christine Adams visited the residents over the weekend, and stated: “This was clearly a very distressing situation for the residents.

"When I arrived, the Fire Service were in attendance and had made an initial assessment to determine that the property was unsafe.

"The damage also affected adjoining properties and some of the residents are elderly and vulnerable. 

“The council has confirmed that the tree had been healthy, and that the safe removal could take several days due to the extent of the damage, and the specialist equipment that may be required.

“Officers confirmed that there had been several instances of trees being damaged or uprooted by Storm Claudia over the weekend, but due to the severity of the damage, this incident is the council’s immediate priority.”

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