t-e-d "Thats good nice to have some information based on knowledge unlike KK's somment based on total ignorance." Thanks for your kind words. I'm talking from direct experience dealing with Southwark over the last few years. When I told them that a tree planted by them a few years ago on the pavement had grown immensely and was damaging (causing leaning) a garden wall, they said we had to: * Demolish the wall * Then dig 4ft exploratory holes * Then if we could see tree roots in the hole, they MAY look at the situation but even tree roots would not be proof. This is despite them having to re-pave the pavement around the tree 3 times over the last few years, that is, between the tree and the wall we allege is damaged by the tree. There's a whole block where the pavement runs, past many many houses, but only that bit they re-paved, right around the tree. The tree is 3ft from the wall. Ignorance ?