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Tree work prosecutions in the United Kingdom: what HSE published

Tree work prosecutions that the Health and Safety Executive published as press releases, with the court, the breach as released and the outcome in pounds.

Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It lists tree work prosecutions that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published as press releases, in the words of those releases. Names of injured people are left out. Each entry is as released on the date shown, and the appeal status is only what each release states. Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Entries

Date and courtDefendant and breach as releasedOutcome as released
May 1, 2026, Bristol Magistrates' Court (release dated May 5, 2026)Upton Specialised Tree Services Ltd, of Horton Heath, Wimborne. Pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 by virtue of Regulation 3. Link: HSE release on the overhead powerline shockFine of £60,000 and costs of £6,237. The release does not mention an appeal.
December 3, 2025, Birmingham Magistrates' Court (release dated December 9, 2025)AP Tree Specialists Ltd, an arboriculture company based in Derby. Pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Link: HSE release on the fall from a MEWP basketCompany fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,956. A director was separately fined £1,000 with costs of £400 under Section 37(1) of the same Act. The release does not mention an appeal.

What each release says happened

The May 2026 release describes a night-time hedge and vegetation job on a busy road near Royal Wootton Bassett on January 19, 2024. A mobile lighting tower being pushed by a member of a team of three made contact with an 11,000 volt overhead powerline, and the worker was left with life-threatening injuries. HSE's investigation found the company had asked the council for a permit to work at night because of traffic flow, but had not adequately planned for or risk assessed the overhead lines, and had not put suitable controls in place such as barriers, instruction or training on the lighting tower. HSE's inspector is quoted as saying the risks from overhead power lines can and must be controlled.

The December 2025 release describes tree surgery from the basket of a mobile elevating work platform at a site in Derby on January 25, 2024. The machine stopped working while the basket was raised, and nobody on site could bring it safely to the ground. The employee tried to abseil from the basket and fell more than 30 feet, with life-altering back injuries. HSE found the company had not planned, supervised or carried out work at height safely, had not completed a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and had not trained employees in the use of the lifting equipment. The release says the director was acting as site supervisor at the time.

Where the register is

HSE's press centre lists releases under a prosecution category, and the two entries above were the only tree work entries among the 205 prosecution releases it held on October 8, 2026, the earliest dated October 13, 2021. HSE's own page for tree work sets out its guidance and case studies, and the guide to lone working rules and the guide to power line rules cover the same ground in the regulators' words. HSE also keeps a separate convictions register, which this page has not searched.

To correct or remove an entry, write to the address at the foot of this page.

Sources