Blackburn couple fear falling tree branches are posing a danger to children

Grandparents Gordon and Barbara Taylor were at home in their sheltered bungalow in Shearwater Drive, Blackburn when the branches collapsed at around 11pm on Sunday.

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The pair, who have five grandchildren, were inside at the time when they heard a crash that ‘sounded like fireworks’.

The branches had snapped off a 60ft tree in the grounds of the former care home Blakewater Lodge which closed some years ago.

They also blocked a footpath used by children.

Mr Taylor, 80, said: “When it gets windy the branches come over onto our roof and on Sunday night a big branch came down.

“We thought there were fireworks going off.

“The wind was very strong and we heard one or two of them hit the window. We went outside and we thought ‘it has finally happened’.

“We thought it would because they sway like hell when it is windy.

“It fell across a metal fence onto a public highway and into our backyard.

“About four years ago the same thing happened, an eight foot long branch came down and just missed us out in the yard.

“We are worried that another branch could come down.”

The retired bricklayer said it was a ‘health and safety issue’.

“We are concerned they are dangerous and we do not know who to contact about it. They need assessing because they are not safe,” he added.

Mrs Taylor , 70, said she was scarily in the backyard when one came down four years ago and nearly hit her.

She said: “We could not get to sleep on Sunday night because we were worried that more would come down.

“There are a lot of people who use the lane when schools are on. There are school children coming up and down so it poses a real risk. Somebody could get hurt.”

A Blackburn with Darwen Council spokeswoman confirmed the tree was on council land.

She said they will be sending a team down to remove the branches and they will be carrying out a thorough assessment of the other trees on the site in the near future.