A mature and much-loved cherry tree in a quiet south-west London street has been felled in a case of mistaken identity by contractors who went to the wrong address.
Wrong Street, Wrong Borough, Wrong Tree
The blunder occurred on Priory Road in the leafy borough of Richmond upon Thames, specifically in the Kew area. Workers from Premier Tree Care & Conservation arrived to cut down a tree they believed was diseased, but they were on the wrong Priory Road entirely. They should have been at a property on a street of the same name in the neighbouring borough of Ealing, several miles away.
Local residents, who described the tree as 'healthy, mature and very beautiful', were horrified and tried to intervene. Alison Murphy, a neighbour, told the BBC that the workers showed her a letter from Ealing Council to justify their actions. 'I wish I'd realised that they were in the wrong borough, in the wrong road, cutting down the wrong tree,' she said, adding that the felling happened in a matter of minutes despite another neighbour pointing out the error.
Apologies and a Promise to Replace
A spokesperson for Premier Tree Care & Conservation stated the incident was due to 'human error' and expressed their 'deepest regret'. They confirmed they understand the residents' distress and are focused on resolving the issue. 'We have already sourced a replacement and we are awaiting instruction from the council as to when we can plant it, likely in the next few days,' the spokesperson said, adding that the community had welcomed their offer of a new tree.
Council Response and Costs
Richmond Council confirmed that the tree stump will be removed and the pit repaired, with a new tree planted in the current planting season. A council spokesman emphasised, 'We will be seeking to recover the costs from the contractor.'
Meanwhile, Ealing Council, which had commissioned the original work, stated they take the incident very seriously but acknowledged it was a case of human error. They noted their contractors had 'worked quickly to make things right.'
The incident highlights the potential consequences of simple administrative mistakes in urban tree management, leaving a community temporarily without a cherished local feature.
