A fresh wave of criminal damage to Hackney’s street trees has stoked uproar in the borough as both police and the council struggle to put a stop to the bewildering attacks.
Locals have lobbied the Town Hall over “aggressive, brainless snapping”, ring-barking and other “sophisticated” techniques used to vandalise and destroy trees throughout Cazenove ward, where Stoke Newington, Upper Clapton and Stamford Hill intersect.
Resident Mark Westcott, who has lived in the borough for decades, has reported numerous incidents over recent months and said he was appalled by this “violence against the community”.
“It’s heartbreaking enough seeing the silver birches come to maturity, then to see them get ring-barked…this attacker is going for trees that are young enough you can actually snap them.”
Rink-barking, otherwise known as ‘girdling’, describes the total or near-complete loss of bark from around the circumference of a tree or a shrub’s trunk or limb, which can be fatal for them.
“Apparently it’s a ‘victimless crime’, but the truth is that the victim is the London Borough of Hackney,” Westcott said.
This is the second time in recent years that a spate of attacks has been reported, after more than 60 trees – including newly planted ones – were vandalised across Hackney in 2022.
Hackney Council said it was supporting the police to put an end to the vandalism, including stepping up patrols in the area to gather residents’ concerns and deter further destruction.
Westcott, who works in TV, suspects that the person or people behind the attacks have managed to elude the authorities because the “relentless onslaught” occurred in places without CCTV.
He also told the LDRS he was initially frustrated by the council’s “obtuse” reporting procedure and grew concerned that there was not a joined-up response to grasp the issue.
Having now met with the borough’s community safety lead, Cllr Susan Fajana Thomas, Westcott said he feels more confident in the police and council’s efforts.
The Metropolitan Police told the Local Democracy Reporting Service it had received reports of incidents of this nature but had not identified any suspects.
The LDRS was told the Met was given an eyewitness’s video of the attacker running away from the scene, but today learned that this had not been attached to any police report.
Green Cllr Alastair Binnie-Lubbock (Hackney Downs) said: “Trees give us so much, from easing extreme heat in cities to providing homes for nature.
“They ask for so little in return. This is why it’s so shocking to see these violent attacks against them.
“Sadly, some now need special protection, so we need to come together as a community to provide that too, and hopefully in the process create the next generation of tree lovers and protectors.”
He added that he, his friends and the arborist group Tree Musketeers had planted a Rowan tree in his ward in 2022 that was still being checked on.
Hackney’s mayor Caroline Woodley, who before her election was solely in charge of families, parks and leisure, said: “This vandalism of young trees can be really destructive, particularly during the critical early period of their growth as we carefully tend to them so they can bring important benefits to our health and environment.
“We are supporting the police with their investigation to find those responsible. This includes carrying out additional patrols in the area to gather information from residents, discuss any concerns and deter future attacks.
“Our specialist tree officers have also visited the area to assess the damage caused and minimise the impact by pruning torn branches.
“While we aren’t able to deploy CCTV capacity to the area without additional financial investment or without taking resources away from other priority areas, we are carrying out in-person surveillance and we urge residents to report any vandalism of street trees by contacting enforcementsupport@hackney.gov.uk.”
It is believed another attack on trees took place in Hackney Downs today.
The Metropolitan Police is also encouraging any residents CCTV or doorbell footage to share this with the service.
