A father has been hit with a hefty fine for “taking matters into his own hands” by felling a tree valued at over £100,000, claiming it posed a danger to his daughter.
Carl Bellis, from Sandfield Close in West Derby, faced the music at Liverpool Magistrates Court last week after he was charged with the wilful destruction of a tree.
The court heard that Bellis had defied a tree preservation order by Liverpool Council, which demands residents obtain permission before altering any protected trees.
In April 2024, Bellis, through a professional arborist, sought approval from the council to cut down a mature Beech tree outside his property, citing it as a risk to his family’s safety. After his request was denied, Bellis proceeded to chop the tree down to an eight-metre stump, resulting in a fine.
During the hearing, it emerged that last spring, the planning department of Liverpool Council received an online request for work on the Beech tree from a tree surgeon acting for Bellis, despite a prior application for its complete removal being turned down six months earlier.
Bellis had previously claimed that the tree was a safety hazard as it had lifted paving flags outside his home. However, a tree and landscaping officer deemed the tree to be in “good structural and physiological condition” and dismissed the request for its removal, reports the Liverpool Echo.
In an application submitted last April, Bellis, through a tree surgeon, reported that a branch had fallen due to wind, causing damage to guttering and roof tiles after leaves from the tree collapsed under their weight. He also claimed that a branch had damaged his car and another had narrowly missed his daughter.
The council rejected these claims due to “insufficient evidence” and suggested that the concerns could be addressed without the tree’s destruction or removal.
On the same day, the city council received complaints about unauthorised tree works. Upon visiting the site, officers discovered that the tree had been reduced to an eight-metre stump.
Consequently, Bellis and the tree surgeon, who denied involvement in the project, were issued caution letters.
In May 2024, Bellis admitted to carrying out the unauthorised work on the tree, citing reasons he had sent to Liverpool Council a month earlier. This admission came at a time when an appeal against the October 2023 decision was still pending.
Bellis, who had destroyed the tree, saw his case dismissed. A site inspection conducted in September of the previous year revealed that no efforts had been made to rectify the uneven paving initially cited as a reason for the tree’s removal.
The tree was valued at over £114,000 in terms of capital asset. The court was informed that due to the damage inflicted, the tree is unlikely to recover and its value has essentially been lost.
The pruning of the tree’s canopy was likened to “turning a tree with significant amenity value into an eyesore”.
It was stated in court that Bellis had “essentially decided to take matters into his own hands at that stage”.
Consequently, Bellis was slapped with a fine of £1,100, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £440 and costs of £1,067 awarded to Liverpool Council. A representative from the local authority expressed satisfaction with the sentence.
