A century-old tree vanished from a Newport backyard, leaving neighbours and council officials shocked.

The homeowner claimed she had no other option, but authorities saw it as a blatant disregard for the law.

Now, the consequences have reached a staggering sum that few could have anticipated.

Claire Rands, who lived in Newport, South Wales, was ordered to pay £114,776.73 ($237,000) after cutting down a 100-year-old lime tree protected by a local council tree preservation order.

Reports revealed Mrs Rands had lodged six unsuccessful applications to have the tree removed before taking matters into her own hands.

The felled tree was discovered by an ecologist from Newport Council while inspecting the reserve behind the Rands’ property.

Homeowner fined for cutting century-old protected lime tree. Image source: Pexels/Johannes Plenio | Disclaimer: This is a stock image used for illustrative purposes only and does not depict the actual person, item, or event described.

The ecologist reported the missing tree to the council, prompting an investigation which confirmed that one of the protected trees had been cut down.

At Newport Magistrates Court, the council alleged Mrs Rands had engaged a third party to remove the tree after being advised it could increase her property’s value by £50,000 ($103,000).

Timothy Straker KC, representing the council, said, ‘Mrs Rands did not take an axe to the tree but engaged someone to do it for her.

‘A large lime tree was taken away, to use the vernacular, lock, stock and barrel. It was a breach of the current legislation and is a criminal offence.’

Rhys Rosser, acting for Mrs Rands, told the court she was of ‘previous good character with no convictions against her’ and had been living off her husband’s income after stopping work for her company following its takeover.

Judge Celicia Hughes said in her verdict: ‘She has shown arrogance in blatantly ignoring the tree preservation order.

‘She knew fully well of the order—this offence was committed deliberately.’

A Newport council spokesperson explained the felled tree had been fly-tipped on the nature reserve behind the Rands’ property.

‘The ecologist noticed the discrepancy which led to a site visit to inspect the trees and investigation into what happened,’ the spokesperson said.

The total fine included a £16,000 ($33,000) penalty and £100,000 ($207,000) in court costs.

Rules around property can catch you off guard in the smallest ways—just like cutting down a tree, tiny oversights can carry hefty consequences.

Even something as simple as leaving a window slightly open could cost you thousands if it breaches local regulations.

If you want to see another example of how everyday actions can lead to unexpected fines, this story highlights the risks.

Read more: Left the windows down a smidge? That tiny gap could mean a $3,096 fine

Key Takeaways

• Claire Rands was fined $237,000 for cutting down a protected 100-year-old lime tree.
• She had made six unsuccessful applications to remove the tree before hiring someone to fell it.
• The tree was discovered missing by a council ecologist during a routine inspection of a nearby reserve.
• The fine included both a direct penalty and court costs, highlighting the severity of breaching a tree preservation order.

Losing such a treasured piece of natural heritage can leave a lasting impact—what would you have done if faced with the same dilemma?

 

[Judy ABowser]

This is very relevant to hear and I really wish we would do more for tree conservation. When I moved into my house 20 years ago there were large trees on the fence line , that were old and had been purposely left when the houses were built . They were on the neighbours property, but council said they were protected and could not be removed without permission. They were beautiful, fast growing trees that provided magnificent shade for both of our properties, and privacy for my 2 bedrooms on that side of the house. Like all trees they drop leaves etc but were homes to many birds, insects etc. . House was sold new neighbours moved in and the first thing they did was chopped down all 3 trees, the reason The trees left leaves on their lawn and they wanted to put up a garden shed. They wanted access from my garden to cut down the trees. When I complained about privacy and shade I was told I should have planted my own. There was not enough room on the fence line for more trees. I had to buy blinds for my windows to replace my now useless curtains. When I go into that part of the garden I can now see what they are doing in their house and garden without any effort . I told the council, who replied that these trees should not have been removed , but as they were now gone they would do nothing . I have since planted jacaranda trees on my side of the fence. They won’t take long to grow and will eventually drop their purple flowers and leaves over the neighbours lawn . Petty I know, but a lovely bit of karma.

Good on you Caron that made my day

 

[Suzanne rose]

I thought this was Newport in Australia but its in Wales not sure what that has to do with us. Fines as well as laws are different in each country

 

[Clancieblue]

I complained to my council 35yrs ago regarding my neighbor planting a Norfolk Pine 15mtrs from our fence line. I was told it was fine and also it was a native tree.
Now the Pine hangs halfway across my yard causing incredible mess and damage to my lawn and roof. the power company have told me to remove the branches off the incoming power lines; The tree is probably 90 to 100ft tall. I am not paying a tree lopper when the council said it was fine.
I feel a bit sorry for this lady with that tree in her yard. Wonder if it is in the plumbing, my neighbors tree cost me $21,000 in plumbing repairs to my sewer pipes.

 

[Reet]

My late sister lived in Revesby for years and when her next door neighbours and friends eventually went to live in retirement home a family of migrants from somewhere in the middle east arrived. These people then started to cut down and remove trees in their back garden. My sister then warned them that there was a preservation order on the trees the neighbours ignored her warning and continued to strip the back garden of all vegetations. They also converted their garage into living quarters for friends of theirs. My sister and her husband were enraged because of the trees being removed and rang the local council to complain. The local council did nothing even after inspecting the premises and seeing the stripped backyeard.

 

[Veggiepatch]

This is very relevant to hear and I really wish we would do more for tree conservation. When I moved into my house 20 years ago there were large trees on the fence line , that were old and had been purposely left when the houses were built . They were on the neighbours property, but council said they were protected and could not be removed without permission. They were beautiful, fast growing trees that provided magnificent shade for both of our properties, and privacy for my 2 bedrooms on that side of the house. Like all trees they drop leaves etc but were homes to many birds, insects etc. . House was sold new neighbours moved in and the first thing they did was chopped down all 3 trees, the reason The trees left leaves on their lawn and they wanted to put up a garden shed. They wanted access from my garden to cut down the trees. When I complained about privacy and shade I was told I should have planted my own. There was not enough room on the fence line for more trees. I had to buy blinds for my windows to replace my now useless curtains. When I go into that part of the garden I can now see what they are doing in their house and garden without any effort . I told the council, who replied that these trees should not have been removed , but as they were now gone they would do nothing . I have since planted jacaranda trees on my side of the fence. They won’t take long to grow and will eventually drop their purple flowers and leaves over the neighbours lawn . Petty I know, but a lovely bit of karma.

Would you be such a tree hugger if those "beautiful fast growing trees" posed a threat to person and property in the event of a storm? How about if a tree came through the roof, killing a family member?

You would be the first to cry blue murder!

Google the case of Gordon Timbs. He repeatedly sought permission from the Shoalhaven City Council to remove several trees from his property, without success. He was threatened with massive fines if he removed them himself. In 1996, one of those trees fell on his house, killing him instantly. Eventually, the family sued the Council for about $750000.

I knew his daughter quite well.

 

[Leenie]

Of course we are not privy to why she wanted the tree removed. Did the council have to charge her so much? I think not. Did they try to resolve the issue with her? It seems not or at least we have not been told. There is so much information missing from this article. Councils are just money grabbers and a law unto themselves.

I agree with what you have said, Councils are dictating what we can and can’t do on our property, once you were able to remove trees or whatever you wanted to get rid of ,now they are getting power hungry , they were voted in to upkeep roads , rubbish etc and upholding the bylaws which they seem to forget to do, and are over paid, it’s time for ratepayers to take back control.

 

[Cheezil]

A pity these type of punishments or sentences aren't issued to the real crims who murder (like the gang that murdered 2 teens in Melb this wkend) or aggravated burglaries/home invasions & car jacking with machetes, stabbing victims, violent attacks on defenceless elderly citz etc!

 

[Leenie]

My late sister lived in Revesby for years and when her next door neighbours and friends eventually went to live in retirement home a family of migrants from somewhere in the middle east arrived. These people then started to cut down and remove trees in their back garden. My sister then warned them that there was a preservation order on the trees the neighbours ignored her warning and continued to strip the back garden of all vegetations. They also converted their garage into living quarters for friends of theirs. My sister and her husband were enraged because of the trees being removed and rang the local council to complain. The local council did nothing even after inspecting the premises and seeing the stripped backyeard.

Typical of Councils.

 

[Leenie]

I complained to my council 35yrs ago regarding my neighbor planting a Norfolk Pine 15mtrs from our fence line. I was told it was fine and also it was a native tree.
Now the Pine hangs halfway across my yard causing incredible mess and damage to my lawn and roof. the power company have told me to remove the branches off the incoming power lines; The tree is probably 90 to 100ft tall. I am not paying a tree lopper when the council said it was fine.
I feel a bit sorry for this lady with that tree in her yard. Wonder if it is in the plumbing, my neighbors tree cost me $21,000 in plumbing repairs to my sewer pipes.

Our council does a check of sewer. Pipes and let’s property owners know their trees are causing blockages and the owners have to remove the trees causing the problem. This happens about every five years.

 

[Sherril54]

Yes, I would have done the same thing, we have such unpredictable storms etc. During the last storms and floods in our area, 2 huge gumtrees lost branches and landed on 2 houses adjacent to mine. The home owners had made many requests to have the trees cut back and were denied. So guess what happened shortly after this incident, council workers (they were on council land) were out and doing what they should have done earlier, luckily no one was killed or injured but it did cause huge damage their homes. I don`t think it is safe to grow or plant large trees in residential areas, there are plenty of other mediam sized trees that are more suitable and do a great job!!.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Would you be such a tree hugger if those "beautiful fast growing trees" posed a threat to person and property in the event of a storm? How about if a tree came through the roof, killing a family member?

You would be the first to cry blue murder!

Google the case of Gordon Timbs. He repeatedly sought permission from the Shoalhaven City Council to remove several trees from his property, without success. He was threatened with massive fines if he removed them himself. In 1996, one of those trees fell on his house, killing him instantly. Eventually, the family sued the Council for about $750000.

I knew his daughter quite well.

In our old house we had a camphor laurel tree which the roots kept going into our pipes and blocking. In stood in the middle of our backyard and nothing grew under it, not even the grass. Council wouldn't let us cut it down even though we were willing to plant other trees.

When we moved we made sure the next house we had didn't have a huge tree. But then the council had planted bottle brush trees on the footpath and they were worst .

 

[novezar]

Don't be so hasty. My aunt in SE Melb asked her Council to remove a very large pine on Council land, because it had damaged her fence over the years. Request denied, and she was told hefty fines would apply if any part of the tree was removed. She had lived at that address for over 50years, but I don't know how large the tree was when she bought the house.

I reckon, bloody big.