Northern Beaches Council is warning the community to be wary of unscrupulous, illegal tree removalists who are preying on property owners and placing them at risk of enforcement action.

Mayor Michael Regan says rogue contractors from outside the Northern Beaches have been operating in the Avalon and Bilgola areas and before undertaking any removal or lopping of trees, property owners should contact Council for advice about what the law allows.

“What these contractors have been doing is illegal. They invariably don’t have insurance, are not qualified or accredited and give no consideration to the liabilities of the property owners. There are at least six reports of these people in the past two weeks, leaving three property owners potentially facing large fines for illegal tree removal or lopping.

“Sometimes they also give a cheaper quote and then inflate the price when the work is done and really pressure the home owner to pay.

“If the work is illegal, then that leaves the property owner at risk of being fined because the contractors have usually shot through with no traceable contact information,” Mayor Regan said.

Property owners who are approached by contractors should contact Council first, to check that the work complies with Council’s tree controls or contact NSW Fair Trading.

They should also contact the appropriate professional arborists’ body for help with professional, accredited contractors.