A Dorchester woman has been fighting the council to remove what she considers as a ‘dangerous’ tree from outside her home.

For over a year, Margaret ‘Joy’ Newman of Grosvenor Close, has been in contact with Dorset Council over an acacia tree outside her residence that has been sprouting 'suckers' from its roots on her property.

These 'suckers' grow from the roots of trees and if not dealt with can turn into a new plant and could potentially cause damage.

In addition the stormy weather has meant that the tree, overhanging Mrs Newman's front garden, poses a second threat as branches fall down on to her property.

However, despite the council visiting on Friday, September 22, to deal with the 'suckers' growing on the verge outside, Mrs Newman is not convinced it is enough, and claims the tree still poses a ‘dangerous’ risk. The council disputes this claim.

Mrs Newman said: “It’s not safe, there are bits falling off it all the time.

“We have had largish branches come down, one landed on my roof and when the next one came down, I had a car at the time, it floated over it and landed by the back gate.”

“I don’t want a tree to come down, that’s the last thing I want, but it’s dangerous this tree.”

Her initial contact with the council dates to the summer of 2022 and in a letter addressed to Mrs Newman, seen by the Echo, the council stated that it ‘will not fell trees because they might at some undisclosed time in the future cause a problem’.

Mrs Newman remains concerned, though, that the roots of the tree could cause damage to her property with the 'suckers' having spread to her back garden.

She added: “I think it thinks it is on its way out, so it’s spreading its roots out and growing to compensate.

“It started at the front last year, and I was pulling them up all over the place in the front lawn, later they started coming up the back.

“It’s no good them (Dorset Council) saying it’s seeds, you can tell when you pull it up if it’s part of a root or not.”

Mrs Newman is also concerned that any 'suckers' that grow in the future could pose a threat to dogs or children as they are ‘prickly’ and added that they are ‘jolly painful’ to touch.

Dorset Council said: “The council's Greenspace team have been in contact with the resident to resolve any issues, and a full inspection of the tree by our arboriculture officer has shown it to be healthy and showing no signs of being dangerous.

"We will be putting in measures to make sure the ‘sucker’ growth is controlled and reduced.”