During that last bout of high windage, our neighbours telephone line was knocked off by our trees swaying into them. In order to fix the cable, BT Openreach have requested that we cut the trees below the line or remove them completely. I am happy to do the work if it is indeed my responsibility (which they haven’t directly said it is though they are our trees) but I am just wondering if it is BT’s issue to solve?
I am asking this because they were happy to come out the other month to ‘trim’ the branches around the telegraph pole to gain access with a cherry picker and a bowsaw no questions asked etc.
We have mentioned that there is a high chance we will damaged the lines further and they were ok with that but I’d rather not be the one who does that and end up with the bill as we don’t have what they said in writing – just the word of an engineer.

anyone in-the-know?

Thanks

Whose land does the over head wires go over?

If it’s your land, then surely it’s BT’s problem….

part our land part our neighbour’s. It crosses from the corner of our house, across the driveway up to our neighbour’s (they own the driveway but the trees affecting the lines are ours) and then continues up the boundary of the driveway and our land to the left.

Your trees…
Even if it’s on the other person’s side of the property line, then it’s still your tree that has caused the problem, and it’s up to you to solve to problem by cutting back, or let someone else do it.
As I understand it, anyway.

If the lines pass over your property do you recieved payment*/wayleave from BT. Ff you do the BT may expect you not to hinder the wayleave they are paying for. (if they were paying for a cable under ground and you dug it up, you would be expecting to pay for the damage.)
If there is no wayleave, then i won’t say its your problem.
If your trees are blowing over the boundary and catching next doors lines then its down to you.
* don’t get excited it will be pence. so often waived.

If BT ran a line over my garden and my trees damaged it, I’d suggest they moved the line…..

Sorry seen your post your trees your problem i guess. i’d get them cut back, but don’t want BT doing it/billing you.
If the crew are there with the platform you wouldn’t want to come out with tea and cakes, mentioning that you can’t do heights since your accident 😀

Just politely reply that you are more than willing to allow them to undertake minimal pruning works to facilitate the cable at their cost. Or suggest they could place it underground. If you like your neighbours and neighbourliness then getting some pruning done to ease the way may be simpler in the long run.

I manage 80000 highway trees and wedo not undertake pruning to clear wires.

Good luck

Nick

My Dad had one of his trees do the same as yours might. Ripped the neighbours wire out. No one was interested as it wasn’t a BT phone contract but eventually someone in a BT van turned up and fixed the wire. Nothing else said.
The electricity board have an active policy of asking if they can trim trees at their expense.

Don’t know about BT, but we had a tree that was hitting power lines causing them to short out interrupting the electricity and sending sparks across the road. Bloke from the power company turned up with a cherry-picker, very apologetic, asked if he could take the top part of the tree down. ‘Our lines, our responsibility’ he said when I asked if we should have done it.