SOME Penrith residents are unhappy with the way some of the trees in the suburb that sit under powerlines have been pruned by Endeavour Energy.

But the company had said it has only what it is required to do by meeting safety standards.

Doug Turner is not amused with the butchering some of the trees have suffered.

“Fancy leaving a tree like this,” said Doug Turner pointing to a jacaranda tree resembling a large catapult at the junction of Smith St and Racecourse Rd.

“They could have trimmed them better so they grow back to look decent,” he said.

The trees growing under powerlines are trimmed regularly by state owned electricity company Endeavour Energy.

media_camera Doug Turner and Peter Townsend are upset at tree pruning by stated owner electricity company Endeavour Energy.

While Peter Townsend said the jacaranda tree had been ruined.

“They need to get rid of it, that’s history. I’ve (also) seen a number of trees butchered in Derby St and Woodriff St,” he said.

A spokesman for Endeavour Energy said trees in the Penrith area had been pruned to protect public safety and prevent customers experiencing blackouts.

“While our preference would be to never have to prune any tree, safety must always be our first priority when dealing with live electricity,” he said.

He said the trees received a trimming annually to keep their network safe.

media_camera Another tree shows off its haircut. Endeavour Energy said the trees had been pruned in accordance with NSW industry safety standards.

“By establishing a safety clearance, we minimise the risk of local customers experiencing blackouts, or potentially fires being started, when trees contact powerlines.”

On Tuesday an Endeavour Energy botanist inspected the trees in Racecourse Rd, Woodriff St and Derby St after inquiries about the pruning by the Penrith Press.

“This inspection found that the trees had been pruned in accordance with NSW industry safety standards to remove regrowth since the last pruning cycle,” the spokesman said.

“These standards require a safety clearance of at least 2.5m between bare wire powerlines and trees.

“Once the safety clearance is achieved, individual branches are pruned at the nearest growth collar to protect the health of the tree.

“In many parts of Penrith, this safety clearance is set from the street-light wire which is the lowest conductor on the pole.”

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