Homeowner: Power company chopped down tree, didn't clean it up

AVON, Mass. — An Avon man says National Grid came unannounced and cut down his tree, then left him with the mess to clean up.

So far, Michael Knight’s calls for help have gone unanswered. He says he has been calling the company for a week with no answers, and now he just wants this done.

He is trying to sell his home, and the 10 foot stump marked with a big red X is now an eyesore.

“I’m a little aggravated at this point. I just want them to get it out of here,” Knight told FOX25.

Knight said he is not upset that the tree was cut down. In fact, he contacted National Grid in the past since the tree was close to power lines. He said they told him there were no problems. Now, it’s gone.

“If it’s my tree and I own it, they have no right to come and cut it down without my permission, as far as I’m concerned. If it’s their tree, they’ve got to take what they cut down,” Knight told FOX25.

That is not the case, according to a National Grid spokesperson. They told FOX25’s Jacqui Heinrich that they are not required by law or company policy to remove debris after a tree has bene marked for removal following a storm sweep. National Grid also says they tried to touch base with Knight before they took action, but nobody was home and they had to act in the interest of safety.

Still, Knight is aggravated.

“Nobody wants it. It’s not good firewood. It’s a maple tree, so you can’t burn it. I can’t even give it away. I have to remove it myself,” said Knight.

Even more frustrating for Knight is that he’s trying to sell his home, but his realtor won’t put the house on the market in the current state.

“They came by and looked at it, said ‘yeah you got to get it out of here. We can’t take pictures. It’ll be hard to show a house while it’s like this,’” Knight said.

After FOX25 reached out to National Grid, they said in an act of good faith, they’ll help Knight, even though it is not their responsibility. Knight is still waiting for National Grid to follow through.

Cox Media Group