Fears raised that 'major' railway tree felling will raise Doncaster flood danger

Residents in Conisbrough say Network Rail have chopped down ‘hundreds’ of trees along the railway line which runs alongside Conisborough Road.

But they fear that it will remove the capacity of the landscape to soak up water, potentially leading to more of the floods which swept Doncaster in November last year.

Resident Michelle Faulkner complained to Network Rail over the actions, which she believes will see trees removed from trackside locations all the way from Mexborough to Doncaster.

Network Rail has been approached for comment.

Michelle, of Buckingham Road, near Conisbrough Station, said residents received letters warning of essential works before Christmas. She said: “I can see trees need managing, but it is the sheer number that I am worried about. Anything near the track seems to be getting taken down.

“It looks to me like 80 per cent are going. Everyone round here is shocked.

“When I complained, I was told that they have to go in case trees fall on a train, and because the leaves make it harder for trains to stop.

“It also means the view of the tracks is no longer screened, and the noise is no longer screened either. Trains hurtling through at night are really loud now. You used to only hear the track-cleaning train. I’ve lived here 15 years and never been able to see the tracks in all that time. It is the sheer amount that worries me – it is sheer butchery.”

Coun Lani-Mae Ball, one of the Doncaster Council ward councillors for Conisbrough, said she was aware of the work that had been going on. She said: “The station does not look like it used to, with the trees that have been removed. I am disappointed about what I see as a lack of consultation with residents about this work.”

She said she would be happy to take up any issues on residents’ behalf if they contacted her.

Ward Coun Ian Pearson said he had previously called for trees to be planted near the Don in Conisbrough to take water, but believes the station is too high to flood.

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