Cullercoats residents up in arms over early hours tree works by Nexus
Cullercoats residents have been left with a “lunar landscape” and disturbed sleep due to tree works conducted by Nexus in the early hours.
Residents of Percy Avenue have spoken out against Metro operator Nexus about the work which involved heavy machinery, including chainsaws and wood chippers.
Residents have also expressed their concern about the wildlife corridor and the loss of foliage in the area.
Resident Sophie McGlinn said: “Monday night was when they did most of it; they took down more trees on Tuesday through the day, but the majority of it was on Monday night. Everyone had their sleep disturbed.”
Sophie continued: “They have left these trees to grow for 30 years; this is not tree safety or sympathetic management, it is a hatchet job.”
Ruth Lambert said: “I have been left with a lunar landscape; it’s dreadful. It was done between midnight and four o’clock in the morning over consecutive nights. There is no one here now; there’s no reason it couldn’t have been done in the day.
“At 3-4am, there were chainsaws 20 feet from my bedroom window and a big chipper machine, and it went on for four hours. The wildlife corridor is no longer a wildlife corridor; they have decimated it.”
Another resident who wished to remain anonymous said: “Obviously it was impossible to sleep with chainsaws and chippers. They started at 2am and went on until at least 4am.
“We are all sympathetic to Nexus having to do overnight work; if there are dangerous trees, then of course take them down, but to do it in the middle of the night when the line is closed anyway is just an outrageous thing to do in someone’s back garden.”
They continued: “We had so much wildlife there, and the trees provided some shade in the summer”.
Steven Shiel, Head of Rail Infrastructure Maintenance at Nexus, said: “We monitor and manage 60 kilometres of trackside areas across the Tyne and Wear Metro system, making sure all our embankments and wider lineside estate is safe and doesn’t pose any operational risks.
“The current work at Cullercoats is essential for the management of the lineside area. We are removing trees which pose a risk to the safety of our railway. Some of the trees have required removal or have instead undergone pollarding work – a method of tree-pruning to encourage growth in the future.
“The works at Cullercoats form part of the current major line closure that we have in place between St James and Monkseaton. The vegetation work has been carefully planned to coincide with the line closure, allowing safe access for specialist teams while reducing the need for future disruption.
“We recognise that some of the work, including using specialist equipment, creates noise for nearby residents and we appreciate their patience while essential work is carried out.
“This closure has been communicated in advance through the media, our social media channels, Travel North East website, stations posters, and platform announcements. Individual works are also included in our weekly night working update, which is emailed to lineside neighbours and local councillors. This can be accessed on the Travel North East website – travelnortheast.uk/ways-to-travel/metro/information/nightworks/.
“Railway lines are natural wildlife corridors. Areas where we remove foliage will always see regrowth over time. We will also consider opportunities for future planting of appropriate native species where suitable. Our teams will return to the area following completion of the works to remove remaining logs and undertake final site tidying activities.”