A man says a “dangerous” tree branch which he has been complaining about for months could kill a child if it falls.

Paul Burns, from Guisborough, criticised Redcar and Cleveland Council for its response and not taking action before now.

In reply, the council said there was no immediate danger from the branch, but a specialist company had been engaged to carry out remedial work.

The tree in question is situated in Stokesley Road, Guisborough, and backs onto the grounds of Galley Hill Primary School, while being in the vicinity of a bus stop.

Mr Burns said: “It is getting very unhealthy.

“This is a dangerous branch, I have worked on farms and taken trees down and I know what can happen from experience.

“They [the council] seem to think the problem is going to go away, but I had a look at it yesterday and today and there are children riding up on bikes past it.

“If that tree falls it will kill a child, it is that serious.

“It’s a very dangerous branch in a very dangerous position.”

The 72-year-old, of Rosedale Crescent, added: “Me and my wife are concerned about it.

“The branch is splitting and if it splits and falls it will fall towards the path.

“It will weigh I would think half a tonne.

“It’s not far away from a bus shelter and it’s where people in wheelchairs have to cross so they go directly underneath it to get onto the bus.”

Mr Burns said he was unhappy with the attitude of the council and also said he was disappointed with the response of his local councillor Graham Jeffery, who had ignored him.

Cllr Jeffrey did not respond when contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He said: “The council used to be very good, but they are just not interested.

“Their attitude now is it’s their way or no way, I’ve dealt with them before.

“Why could they not just come out and take a look at it when it first happened, it would take half-an-hour and we wouldn’t have all this chew.”

A spokesman for the council said: “Safety is always our priority and we thank this resident for alerting us to this potential problem. 

“Following this contact, our officers have inspected trees right across this location and, while establishing there is no immediate danger, we can confirm that we have engaged a specialist company to conduct remedial work not only on this tree, but 21 others which have been found to have evidence of the fungal disease ash dieback causing damage to branches. 

“This work will happen as soon as possible in the coming weeks and will involve closing Stokesley Road so it is able to be conducted as quickly and efficiently as possible and we apologise in advance for any disruption this may cause. 

“Following this work other trees across the borough found to have evidence of ash dieback will also be treated which may cause some disruption.”