Police are probing claims that workmen involved in a controversial city centre tree felling scheme fell ill after they drank ‘tea’ offered by residents.
Detectives are investigating complaints three workmen fell violently sick in October at the height of protests into the felling programme in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
The workmen employed by construction giant Amey are believed to have needed to take time off work due to the severity of their symptoms.
Trees on Western Road, Sheffield, which were planted in April 1918 to honour soldiers who died in WW1 – there have been protests over them being cut down
File photo of the controversial tree felling scheme in Sheffield which has angered many residents
Police are probing claims that workmen involved in a controversial city centre tree felling scheme fell ill after they drank ‘tea’ offered by residents
South Yorkshire Police today confirmed it was investigating ‘reports of three alleged assaults on three workers who were felling trees in Sheffield’.
The investigation follows bitter protests by some Sheffield residents over work to fell a total of 6,000 trees in the city as part a £22bn council street improvement scheme.
On Thursday, January 25, Amey’s account director said revealed work was being paused indefinitely ‘because of concerns over the safety or their staff.’
There have been daily clashes between protestors and workmen at one site in the city, Meersbrook Park Road, for more than a week.
A source, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I spoke to one worker who said he had a cup of tea during his shift, finished work but then became violently sick.
‘He took the next day off work and then discovered his two colleagues had similar symptoms.
‘The worker said they felt they had been given something because the symptoms were so similar and severe so they reported it to the police.’
Furious campaigners have previously been told by the council that costly engineering solutions to retain the trees in Sheffield would mean raiding its social care budget.
Detectives are investigating complaints three workmen fell violently sick in October at the height of protests into the felling programme in Sheffiel
The workmen employed by construction giant Amey are believed to have needed to take time off work due to the severity of their symptoms
The council’s race to meet a felling target of 6,000 by the end of the year has led to protests, arrests and High Court legal action.
Objectors to the scheme have staged a number of protests across the city, with demonstrations now held on a daily basis.
About 5,500 trees have been cut down since 2012 and the authority insists those earmarked for felling are either ‘dangerous, dead, diseased, dying, damaging or discriminatory’.
The controversy has seen many clashes in the city with contractors and residents with two pensioners arrested in November 2016 after contractors attempted to fell a tree under the cover of darkness.
Protesters Jenny Hockey, 70, and Freda Brayshaw, 71 were arrested and thrown in a police cell for almost nine hours for trying to stop workmen cutting down trees outside their homes at 5am.
Police today confirmed it was investigating reports of three alleged assaults on three workers who were felling trees in Sheffield
The charges against them were later dropped.
Further arrests were made in February 2017 when Dr Simon Crump, 56, and Calvin Payne, 44, were locked in a police cell for eight hours by police after protesting against workmen cutting down a 100-year-old tree.
The duo were due to face trial the following month charged under trade union laws regarding stopping workers from carrying out their jobs.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service has now dropped the case ‘on the basis that it is not in the public’s interest to prosecute’.
South Yorkshire Police said they are investigating reports of three alleged assaults on three workers who were felling trees in Sheffield and that ‘this matter was reported during October 2017.’
A spokesperson said: ‘Officers have carried out forensic tests and have spoken to a number of witnesses regarding this matter and enquiries are ongoing.’