LEAFY PEST: Kathleen Walker says the tree outside her house is an annual nuisance and she wants it gone. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO 080415WCSMTREE2
LEAFY PEST: Kathleen Walker says the tree outside her house is an annual nuisance and she wants it gone. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO 080415WCSMTREE2
Springvale resident Kathleen Walker loves trees - she even loves the deciduous tree that overhangs her roof and drops leaves into her guttering every autumn.
"If it was over the road or in the park, I would probably sit underneath it and have a picnic - I just don't likeit where it is," she said.
There is a row of the same melia trees planted on the berms outside all the houses along her street, but Mrs Walker - who lives on the corner - says the other trees are a reasonable distance from the houses.
"I used to get up and clean the guttering every year but I'm too old for that now, so I have to pay someone to do it - and it cost $45 last time," she said.
Wanganui District Council senior parks officer Wendy Bainbridge said a parks officer visited Mrs Walker and they agreed that an arborist would trim the tree.
"The tree is not large, it is in good health and not likely to fall over. It is the homeowner's responsibility to clear their gutters of leaves," Ms Bainbridge said.
However, Mrs Walker remains unconvinced.
"Council staff have accused me of trying to kill the tree after I was seen spraying weed killer at the front of my property," Mrs Walker said.
