Gardeners who cut down a tree in their own garden could face £20,000 fines (Image: Getty)
Gardeners are being warned they could face fines of up to £20,000 for cutting down a single tree in their garden in 2025.
Most of us have green spaces with at least one tree in, and many trees have been standing for years and years, possibly even decades.
Because many trees last for so long, a given tree will often live to see many different owners and gardeners come and go over its lifetime, and as a result it can often be hard to track down when a tree was planted and by whom.
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It’s easy to assume you have the right to chop away at anything within your boundaries – but you could actually be slapped with a fine of up to £20,000 for doing so.
Chris Bonnett from is urging owners to check whether trees are covered by a Tree Preservation Order before cutting them down.
This comes after Robbie Williams was granted permission to cut down a protected Norway Maple tree in the of his £17 million London mansion after it was attacked by honey fungus.
The Rock DJ singer applied for permission from Kensington and Chelsea Council to remove the tree before several of his neighbours wrote their own letters to the council opposing the plans.
Officials ultimately decided that the tree can be removed due to its poor health.
But deliberately damaging or removing a tree which is subject to a TPO can result in a hefty fine of up to £20,000.
If needed, these trees can still be pruned and removed but homeowners will have to go through a certain process with the government and submit an application.
Nick Wood, gardening expert at said: “Trees are usually placed under TPOs because they’re considered important to the local area, they may add beauty or be good for the environment.
“If you’re thinking of doing any work to your home or garden that involves heavily pruning or removing a tree it’s really important you check if it’s under a TPO or not. Cutting down a tree that is under this order can result in a huge fine of up to £20,000!
“If your tree is under a TPO you’ll have to make a ‘work to tree’ application through the government where you’ll have to map out exactly what you want to do.”