A RESIDENTS' association member has resigned after the committee refused to reimburse him for clearing a fallen tree.
David Hooper, 67, former membership secretary for Kenley and District Residents' Association (Kendra), made a statement of resignation at its annual meeting on Tuesday night.
Mr Hooper, a retired transport journalist from Old Lodge Lane, said in early September he was told part of Canon's Hill was blocked after a tree fell in bad weather in mid-August.
He said the tree had blocked access to Coulsdon shops and Grange Park for three weeks.
Mr Hooper, who has served Kendra for four-and-a-half years and estimates he put in around 600 hours of work for them, said the council denied owning the land and the tree was not its responsibility.
So on September 9, Mr Hooper took matters into his own hands.
His son, who was staying with him, had an old chainsaw so they cleared the tree themselves.
Mr Hooper said at the meeting: "The tree was blocking the path unless you were a limbo dancer or a gymnast.
"It was a question of finding the owner and it was going to be very difficult and take a lot of time.
"Urgency was the thing, not sitting on one's hands and leaving it to someone else."
Mr Hooper and his son spent almost £50 getting the chainsaw working and took just over two hours clearing the trees.
He asked Kendra and Old Coulsdon Residents' Associations (OCRA) to reimburse him £50 each for the equipment and his son's labour. OCRA agreed but the majority of the Kendra committee refused to stump up the cash.
He said: "I am very disappointed and I put it to the committee that it wasn't very well done."
Philip Royse, Kendra treasurer, said: "The most important thing is that we're very sad he has left the committee. He will be sadly missed but we're looking forward to getting a replacement and he did a very good job over the years.
"The committee will have a meeting to discuss the practical issues and his reasons for leaving because it's a committee
