A 95-year-old widow says her home is almost always cold and dark because of Leeds City Council’s refusal to cut down a nearby tree. Sheila Isaacs, from Alwoodley, Leeds, says she suffers low moods because the semi mature oak that stands at an estimated 60ft tall overshadows her living room.
LeedsLive reports that the great-grandmother of 17 says she even felt chilly during the record-breaking summer heatwave. The tree stands on public land, the other side of Mrs Isaacs’ back garden fence, but the council says it won’t chop it down because it is healthy. It says Mrs Isaacs could pay to have the tree pruned back to an extent, but she is reluctant to do so because of the high cost involved.
Mrs Isaacs said: “It is really dark. When we had the day in summer when it was very hot, people were ‘phewing’ and saying they couldn’t stand it. I was in here and it was cold. It does affect my mood because I’ve got to put the lights on during the day and it’s a dark and cold room. I hate to think about it, but I’m paying quite a lot out in direct debits on electricity bills.”
