Following the recent strong winds community wardens in Sudbury spent many hours cleaning away debris such as fallen trees, broken fences and damaged sheds. However, in cases where a chainsaw was needed there was often a delay in removing potentially dangerous obstacles as none of the wardens were qualified to use such equipment.

Now, thanks to grants from two of the town’s county councillors John Sayers and Colin Spence, town warden Bradley Smith has gained a qualification in how to safely use a chainsaw, which will greatly improve the timescales of clean-up operations in and around the town.

“This may seem like quite a minor issue, but the fact none of us were trained in how to use a chainsaw, meant there was often lengthy delays in us being able to clear areas and remove dangers. If we found a tree blocking a road we would have to call someone from Suffolk County Council’s Highways Department to come and clear it. Now, I can simply jump out the van, cut the tree up with my chainsaw and remove the problem. I would like thank councillor Sayers and councillor Spence for providing £500 each out of their locality budgets to pay for this training.”

Picture caption:Town warden Bradley Smith displaying his news skills, watched by John Sayers and Colin Spence.

Anyone needing further information can call Sudbury Town Council on 01787 372331. Those needing general information about Sudbury Town Council can email Deputy Town Clerk Jacqui Howells at jacqui.howells@sudburytowncouncil.co.uk