Lib Dem Councillor arranges trees to be pruned along the whole of Worple Road

"I am delighted to have achieved this within a short space of time"

An ongoing issue raised with Lib Dem Councillor Chris Bateson as a Local Ward Councillor for Staines South was the degree to which trees had overgrown, both sides of the road throughout the entire length of Worple Road. This made it acutely difficult for double-deck buses carrying in the main schoolchildren to traverse the route safely. It presented serious safety issues as well as resultant damage to the buses involved as they could not avoid coming into contact with the overhanging branches and foliage.

To ascertain the scale of the problem first hand, Chris organised a route survey on 27 August with a bus, meticulously photographing every location where a problem existed. After following up the issue with Surrey CC less than six weeks later, on 6 October, contractors were out lopping and pruning in earnest. Both sides of the road have now been successfully dealt with.

Chris commented as the work was being completed: "As someone with a life history of working in the bus industry some 46 years I am acutely aware of how problematic and dangerous something like this can be. This was a problem even on a fully dry day as it was on 27 August when the survey was carried out. After rainfall, branches sag even more due to the weight of water. As Autumn and Winter approach and with it the likelihood of increased rainfall it was important this issue was addressed as quickly as possible. I am delighted I have been able to achieve this within a relatively short space of time."

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