Dundalk councillor calls for Council to act on dangerous trees at roadsides

Dundalk-Carlingford's Cllr Antóin Watters raised the matter of dangerous overhanging trees at roadsides in the area at the Dundalk Municipal District September meeting, asking Louth County Council to engage with landowners in relation to them.

Cllr Watters told the meeting that from September 1, hedges could be cut but said that "hedges and dangerous trees are a major issue", mentioning a tree that had fallen recently on the road into Carlingford.

The Sinn Féin councillor asked what Louth County Council was doing to speak to landowners where trees on their lands were an issue, suggesting that should be informing landowners that their tree is falling out on to the road, "you need to do something about it or we're going to charge you".

He added that the Council needs to start charging for the cost of hiring a tree surgeon to take down dangerous trees as they don't want to see a fatality happening because of them.

Cllr Watters went on to say that the first issue he had raised at a Dundalk Municipal District meeting, seven years ago, was in relation to dangerous trees, adding that he doesn't think the issue has moved on and that the same trees still haven't been cut down and that it was only a matter of time before they fall.

In response, Senior Executive Engineer, Paddy Connelly, said that that hedge cutting is a matter for private landowners and that Louth County Council only cuts hedges at strategic junctions for road safety reasons.

Mr Connolly added that if there are dangerous trees, to let Louth County Council know and it would contact the relevant landowners to let them know.