Emergency tree work costing £16,618 was given retrospective approval by Alton Town Council at its full council meeting on January 8.

An inspection of trees at The Dell in Ashdell Road, following high winds and heavy rain which saturated the ground in early December, found a danger of trees falling on the road.

The location meant the work was not straightforward. Council contractor Green Frontiers said the roots of an ash tree had been lifted and only a sycamore in its path was preventing it falling across Ashdell Road.

It was unclear how long the sycamore could hold up the ash and the contractor advised that with the cost of bringing in a crane and a grapple saw, plus the expense of traffic management, it would make sense to do all urgent tree work required there at the same time.

Of a £25,000 tree work budget for 2024-25, £18,541 remained. Work on the ash and sycamore would cost £2,950, but the price for all the work needed on trees in the area was £11,900. Traffic management costs would be incurred whichever option was chosen.

The town council eventually received planning permission from East Hampshire District Council for all the work at The Dell.

It asked Green Frontiers to do the job and obtain the traffic management permission required, which cost a total of £16,618.

This was more than the council could spend under its discretionary powers so all councillors were consulted in detail and asked to grant permission to the town clerk to raise a purchase order to do the work under emergency measures, subject to retrospective approval by full council.

Twelve councillors responded to the town clerk’s request to approve the purchase order and the work was done on December 10 and 11.