£20,000 mature Crawley oak tree severely damaged in attempt to retrieve illegally flown drone

A mature and healthy oak tree that was so badly vandalised at Tilgate Forest Golf Centre it had to be felled has been valued at around £20,000.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Oct 2018, 13:27 BST
Updated 31st Oct 2018, 04:00 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The Observer reported on Friday that Sussex Police are looking for the culprit - the incident happened while a man was trying to retrieve a trapped drone

Now Crawley Borough Council is working with Sussex Police to try to identify the person involved.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The council says that the tree was cut into by a chainsaw, an act of criminal damage and vandalism that caused significant damage and giving tree surgeons no choice but to fell the tree.

The tree had to be felled 9AI0pa4vHfmlBK5UsSwsThe tree had to be felled 9AI0pa4vHfmlBK5UsSws
The tree had to be felled 9AI0pa4vHfmlBK5UsSws

The incident happened on Saturday October 13 at about 4.20pm.

A dog walker was on the path near the 18th hole when she saw a man acting suspiciously near an oak tree, which had large cuts in it.

She reported this to the police.

When she returned 40 minutes later a second man had arrived.

Police are looking for this man in connection with the incidentPolice are looking for this man in connection with the incident
Police are looking for this man in connection with the incident
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He was a tree surgeon who also called the police and reported that the tree was in a dangerous condition.

The tree surgeon climbed the tree and removed the drone.

The council adds that a member of Glendale Golf staff heard what had happened and attended.

He gave permission for the tree to be felled in order to make the area safe.

The damage done to the treeThe damage done to the tree
The damage done to the tree

Chris Mullins, Cabinet member for Wellbeing, said: “This is a disgraceful act and a massive overreaction. I can’t understand how someone flies a drone – which they didn’t have permission to do – into a tree and decides the best course of action is to try and chop the tree down.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The estimated value of a tree this age is around £20,000 and the cost to replace it with a tree of suitable size will be high. There is considerable public sentiment that the person responsible should face justice and we are fully supporting the police’s investigation.”

Police say if you know the man in the photo, witnessed this vandalism or sold/hired someone a chainsaw on the day of the incident call on 101 quoting reference 1264 of 13 October.

Crawley Borough Council says it does not permit anybody to carry out unauthorised work on their trees and doesn’t normally allow the use of, or over flying by, drones in parks, green spaces and other council-owned land for recreational or commercial purposes.

No permission was given.

See also: Horley bookmakers robbed by man with an axe

Plans for Islamic community centre between Horsham and Crawley could be turned down again