Girl, 6, could die from walnut tree – but mum, 40, faces court if she trims neighbour’s branches hanging into garden
THE mum of a little girl with a deadly nut allergy has been told she faces court if she trims the branches of a neighbour's walnut tree.
The tree overhangs Chantel Beck's garden in Norfolk - but despite fears for her six-year-old, Beau, the mum has been warned she can't take action.
Now jobsworth councillors have said they'll slap a preservation order on the shrub - meaning Chantel , 40, faces a legal battle if she lops its branches.
Beau and her little sister Bonnie, five, often play in the back garden in Trowse together.
And Chantel fears her daughter could go into shock and die before anyone can help her if she touches the nuts.
The little one has previously suffered a severe reaction - without ever eating one of the walnuts from the tree.
Chantel said: "It didn't occur to me that she might have a reaction, because she couldn't crack a walnut open so was unlikely to eat one.
SCHOOLGIRL 'CLUTCHED HER THROAT'
"But they mulch, and when the girls play in the garden, it gets on her fingers and hands and then on her face. Before you know it it's in her system.
"She had swollen ears, swollen lips and was clutching her throat. Then she had hives on her body."
In 2018, Chantel won permission to trim the tree - but consent has lapsed, and when she applied again, she was told her new proposals were unacceptable.
"I do everything I can to collect the walnuts but with the best will in the world I cannot be sure to collect every single one," she said.
"It's a lovely tree, about 100 years old, it's in a conservation area and I don't dispute that it is a wonderful part of nature.
"Unfortunately I have a daughter who is allergic to walnuts and it covers our garden every year with walnuts.
'PEOPLE THINK IT'S A LOVELY TREE'
"I don't want it to be felled. I'd just like it reduced so I can manage the risk."
Lisa Neal, the ward councillor for Trowse, said "I have been in contact with Chantal to see if we can find a compromise to help both sides.
"On one side you have Chantal's daughter with the health implications.
"On the other people feel it is a lovely tree and don't want to have too much cut off it because that could damage or kill the tree. It is a hard one."
Eleven people sent letters to the council objecting to Chantel's plans to trim the tree down.
Most read in News
One said: "As an artist I draw and photograph it regularly, loving the age and dignity of its perfectly shaped crown."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Another described the tree as a 'landmark', adding: "It is the only large walnut tree in the village and many of us enjoy the walnut harvest in the late summer."
However, 17 others supported Chantel, and said while it could be "upsetting for a visual perspective", the implications are "very dangerous" for little Beau.
