A council row has erupted after a pensioner told officials "where they can shove it".
Gladys Bakken, 84, from Liverpool, has found herself locked in a frustrating battle with the city council over a tree that has wreaked havoc on her property and caused her physical harm.
The 84-year-old grandmother, who resides in Croxteth, has spent the past year-and-a-half attempting to get Liverpool Council to address a large tree whose roots have severely damaged her brick driveway.
The pensioner suffered a fall due to the uneven surface created by the encroaching roots, yet she has been informed that she must submit evidence to support any compensation claim.
Gladys Bakken has positioned rubbish bins to block off the damaged area to prevent another fall
The roots from the tree on Lower House Lane have pushed up the bricks on Bakken's front drive, creating a hazardous surface that led to her tumbling over.
"All my paving has been coming up because of the roots from the tree," she explained to the Liverpool Echo.
Following her accident, the widow has positioned rubbish bins to block off the damaged area to prevent another fall.
Liverpool Council's guidelines state that property owners can seek compensation for damage from trees on public property, but this requires submitting a formal claim with supporting documentation, a process that can take up to three months.
The ordeal has taken a significant toll on Bakken, who has been widowed since her husband Steve passed away in 2016.
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|The roots from the tree on Lower House Lane have pushed up the bricks on Bakken's front drive, creating a hazardous surface that led to her tumbling over (stock pic)
"I've cried many a time," she revealed, expressing her exasperation with the council's response.
The grandmother of three, who is currently recuperating from hip surgery, worked at Jacobs factory until retiring at 63 and has called her terraced house home for over three decades.
Her frustration reached breaking point when she declared she was ready to tell the council "where they can shove it" after being informed she would need to cover costs herself.
"It's been like talking to a wall; I'm getting nowhere," she said.
A spokesperson for Liverpool Council acknowledged they were aware of the problems affecting the Croxteth property.
They said: "We understand how inconvenient this is for the resident, and we are taking steps to address it."
The authority explained that legal requirements prevent the immediate felling of healthy trees without proper consultation procedures.
"No healthy tree can be removed without prior consultation, which must be carried out in line with the law," the spokesman added.
The council pledged to begin the consultation process to "resolve the issue at the earliest possible opportunity," though no specific timeline was provided for when the troublesome tree might be removed.