Mum told she can’t cut back tree that her daughter may be fatally allergic to

A mother could be taken to court if she trims a walnut tree which can cause her anaphylactic daughter to suffer a lethal reaction.

Walnuts from the 55ft tree fall into mum Chantel Beck's garden from overhanging branches.

The mum-of-two worries that her daughter Beau will have an anaphylactic shock when she plays in their garden in Trowse, Norfolk.

The 40-year-old told the Norwich Evening News that Walnuts "mulch and through play it gets on her fingers and hands and then on her face and before you know it it’s in her system.’

"The reaction isn't just itchy skin, it is anaphylactic."

Though Ms Beck won permission to trim the tree by four metres in 2018, she has since asked again following the serious allergic reaction Beau, 6, suffered in 2019.

“She had swollen ears, swollen lips and was clutching her throat. Then she had hives on her body,” Ms Beck said of her daughter's anaphylactic reaction.

Her most recent proposal to reduce the size of the tree was refused by South Norfolk Council over concerns that the level of reduction would be "beyond the normal parameters of work for a healthy tree."

The council said that "some pruning work would be acceptable" but after the "strong feeling and response" they received they are now seeking a preservation order.

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While 17 people backed Ms Beck's application, eleven objected to cutting the tree.

One objector, who identified as an "artist" said the walnut tree "contributes to the rural character of Trowse and can be enjoyed by many of the village residents."

Another argued that the tree is a "landmark" that provides a large walnut harvest late in the summer.

However, one supporter of Ms Beck's plans said: "Although it will be upsetting from a visual perspective for some local residents, when you consider the very dangerous health implications this could have on a small child, I can’t see how anyone can object to this.”

Beau has become anxious about playing in her garden with five-year-old sister Bonnie.

Ms Beck said: "I do everything I can to collect the walnuts but with the best will in the world I cannot be sure to collect every single one,” she said.

“I don’t want it to be felled. I’d just like it reduced so I can manage the risk.”

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