Worcestershire council workers bury dead tree stump in tarmac and create a 1ft hump on a pavement

From the Newshound archive · first published 8 October 2026.

Residents on Park Avenue in Claines, Worcestershire, are furious after council workers covered a tree stump in tarmac, leaving a 30cm mound blocking the pavement. Workers discovered utility pipes beneath the stump and could not remove it, but instead of finding a proper solution, they paved over it and left. Adam Thomas, 57, a visually impaired local who lives opposite, called it 'absolutely madness'. Councillor Karen Holmes, an engineer, said she had 'never come across anything like this.'

Graphic designer Ed Gallagher, 55, has taken to using the road rather than negotiate the obstruction, likening the experience to 'climbing Ben Nevis on a dog walk.'

Councillor Mel Allcott said stump grinding was a familiar enough sight, but that she had 'never one coated in tarmac over a foot high.'

BMX rider Oliver Cox, 19, called it 'quite good for jumping my bike over' but warned pushchair and mobility scooter users would struggle.