Safety first
Electricity can jump a gap, so you don't need to touch a line to be hurt. Do not climb, prune or use a ladder or pole saw near overhead lines. Do not touch a branch that is resting on a line, and keep well clear of any fallen or sagging cable, which may still be live.
- Danger to life or serious injury: call 999 and tell them electricity is involved.
- Lines down, damaged or tree touching a line, but no immediate injury: call 105, the number for reporting power cuts and network safety concerns. It connects you to your local network operator.
- Keep other people and animals away until the operator says it is safe.
Who looks after the lines in Worcestershire?
National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) is the main network operator in the West Midlands and Worcestershire. A few sites, such as some newer housing estates, are served by independent networks. Calling 105 connects you to the operator for your address, so you don't need to work out which one it is. Telephone cables from BT Openreach are separate: if a tree is on or near a phone line, contact Openreach rather than the electricity operator.
What the HSE says
The HSE's guidance on tree work near power lines says that if work is within 10 metres of overhead lines, measured horizontally at ground level from below the nearest wire, you should take a risk-based approach and get advice from the network operator before starting. Work more than 10 metres away must also be considered if a falling tree, timber or equipment such as a crane could come within that zone. The operator may agree a safe system of work, which can include switching the power off, adjusting the working distances or using a specialist utility arboriculture contractor. Working with the power off is the first choice. HSE's general guidance on working near overhead lines is GS6, Avoiding danger from overhead power lines.
Will the operator cut the tree?
Operators manage vegetation near their own lines for network safety, and some will cut or make safe trees that are growing into lines, though policies, conditions and costs differ and often depend on who owns the tree and whether it is a risk to supply. Phone the operator and ask: don't assume you will be charged or that you won't. A tree that hasn't yet reached the lines but is growing towards them is also worth reporting. If the operator won't do the work, ask what it requires before a private firm can start.
Choosing a tree surgeon for this work
Ordinary tree surgery competence is not enough near live lines. HSE guidance expects the work to be planned with the network operator, ideally with the power off. Ask any firm:
- What training its crew have for working near overhead lines, and for how long it has been current.
- Whether it will agree the method with the operator in writing before starting.
- Whether the power will be switched off, or the work done at agreed distances.
- For evidence of insurance covering this type of work.
The Arboricultural Association's ARB Approved Contractor Directory has a separate Utilities tab for contractors who specialise in utility arboriculture.
If the tree is already down on a line
Treat a tree on a line as an emergency. Keep well away, do not touch the tree or anything it is touching, and let the operator make the line safe. Only after the operator confirms the line is dead and isolated should anyone approach, and even then the clearing is best done by crews trained for it. Vehicles, fences and metal gates in contact with a fallen line can also be live.
Related
If a tree is down or dangerous right now, see emergency tree surgeons. Where a lifting platform or crane is needed, read about difficult access work, because overhead lines also limit where booms can be placed. If the tree is protected, see the TPO and conservation area guide.