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Times

Is the landowner responsible if a tree brings down a phone line?

Who is responsible if a telephone line crossing over a property is brought down by the landowner's tree falling on the cable?Alan Smith The landowner is only likely to be responsible for the damage to the telephone line if they knew or ought to have known of the risk of damage. (I am assuming the tree is not on or near a highway or railway. If so, different considerations may apply.) A court would take into account whether there is evidence that the landowner had carried out regular inspections of the tree and whether the telecommunications company had notified the landowner of the risk of damage. Assuming the tree was generally healthy and there were no obvious signs that it was likely to fall,