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Beware of rogue tree surgeons operating in Moray. This month we witnessed a group of Tree Surgeons butchering trees in the Forres area.  We use the term “Tree Surgeons” very loosely here as we do not suspect that any one of them was qualified.  Large limbs were being removed from the trees by a team wielding bow saws and a blunt chainsaw.  The members of the team were taking it in turn to climb into the trees using ladders and branches but without any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).  None of the climbers wore a harness and none of the climbers or ground crew wore hi-vis clothing, protective trousers, safety boots or helmets.  The larger limbs of the trees were removed using a single cut part way through the branch before it was torn from the tree by a number of old ropes tied together and attached to a transit van!  The result being large ugly tears to the remaining branches.

BT arrive to install temporary connection until work is complete.

They were working amongst live overhead power cables and telephone wires.  Whilst they hit both during the course of the works they only managed to bring down their clients telephone line.  It is unlikely that this crew were insured for such damages so the cost of reconnection would most likely have to be borne by their client.  It took the team at least three days to do the work. All in, this excersise was likely to have been a very costly one for their client.

The moral here is always check that your contractor is insured for potential damage to your property.  They should carry Public and Products Liability Insurance and Employers Liability Insurance if they employ staff.  If they arrive with no protective equipment send them away.