By Lauren Beavis

The family of a visually and hearing-impaired boy is fighting an insurance company that wants to chop down a tree in their garden he plays under.

Linda Taylor Cantrill, 55, and husband Scott, 51, are campaigning to keep the 200-year-old oak at their home for son Redd, 11.

They say Redd needs to sit and play under the tree, which improves his physical and mental health and helps his epilepsy.

But an insurance company says it should be chopped down following a claim by the family over subsidence at the property.

The family have already removed more than 20 trees from their back garden at the request of their insurers.

But it also wants them to remove the oak tree at the front – claiming it is linked to the subsidence.

The couple say the tree has a preservation order and it plays an integral role for Redd who is visually and hearing impaired, non-verbal and suffers with epilepsy.

The family say the tree provides essential shade that allows Redd to play safely outside – without being affected by direct sunlight.

His parents say someone with epilepsy is more likely to have a fit in the heat so shade is vital to him.

Linda says an application to remove the tree has been submitted by Property Risk Inspection (PRI) on behalf of the insurance company, LV= General Insurance, owned by Allianz.

Linda, who worked as an engineer before being a full-time carer for Redd, said: “We will not give up this fight.

“We had to remove 17 conifers, a big holly tree, a beautiful lilac tree, fuchsias – they even told us to remove the rosemary bush!

“They stripped it all out so we could save this tree, and behind our backs they put in this application. It has been a three-year battle – and it’s horrendous.”

Redd’s mom says its position was an integral factor to them buying the property.

Back in 2023, the family were forced to remove over 20 trees by order of LV= insurance General Insurance.

This was due to the insurance claim the family made to obtain subsidence repair on their property, after their neighbor noticed a crack during the July 2022 heatwave just a few months after they had moved in.

The family claims the professional reports and documents submitted by the insurance company have been filled with “mislabeled samples and inaccurate information.”

Mom-of-two Linda who has an extensive background in engineering, explained how vital the tree is for Redd’s mental and physical health.

She said: “Our son is visually and hearing impaired, epileptic, is non verbal and uses his residual hearing and vision – he relies on sensory feedback from the world around him.

“The only part of the garden he can access is the tree and the area underneath it as it offers protection from the sun.

“But he also suffers from a vitamin D deficiency – he takes supplements but he has ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intakes disorder) – so sunlight is vital for him.

“This is what he needs for his health. This tree supports his wellbeing and health, mentally and physically.”

Back in July 2022, a neighbor spotted a crack in their home – which Scott, being a building surveyor, believed was subsidence – which can cause the foundations of a home to become unbalanced due to the ground underneath the property sinking.

Linda claims when they made a claim to LV= , an arborist from PRI came to make an assessment – and concluded the subsidence was due to the oak tree.

Linda explained how many of the readings taken from the insurance report and application to remove the tree are “inaccurate and misleading”.

She said: “None of the supporting documents have proven any root ingress or proof that the tree is the problem, and no other investigations have been done!

Linda said: “No structural engineer will support the removal of this tree.”

Although the tree has a preservation order councils are now at a disadvantage in terms of rejecting applications to fell such trees following a law change.

The family hosted a demonstration at their home on Wednesday (16 July) – to raise awareness of their plight.

Linda says she has raised this issue with her MP.

A spokesperson for Allianz said the Taylor Cantrills had made a claim for subsidence, and that investigations revealed desiccated clay soils with “roots found originating from an oak tree”.

It said drains were inspected in 2023, and were found to have root damage and subsequently repaired. It believes the oak tree is the cause of the subsidence and the “best long-term option” to resolving the subsidence issue is removing the tree.

A spokesperson for Allianz said: “Trees, while essential for the environment, can exacerbate subsidence due to their roots drawing moisture from the soil, especially during dry periods. In areas prone to subsidence, tree removal may be necessary to mitigate these risks and protect buildings from potential damage.

“Our building experts have surveyed the property and confirmed that an oak tree is causing the damage to the policyholder’s home. Although removing the tree is considered the best option, we understand the policyholder’s concerns about removing it.

“Our experts are considering alternative options to resolve the problem without removing the tree but some of this is dependent upon the level of movement over the summer.”

The spokesperson added the five millimeter downward movement measured was on the “cusp” of what it would consider for a robust repair or scheme such as a root barrier or underpinning.

They added alternative options had pros and cons, and some would not be considered a long-term solution or would require routine maintenance by the Taylor Cantrills.

However, the family has stated the company has not sent “experts”.

Linda added, “Without a Deep Fixed Datum Point for the past three years’ worth of subsidence measurements, five mm is an inaccurate reeding as we have cracks wider than that.”