Lake Macquarie City Council says a dangerous social media stunt is putting lives at risk and costing the organisation thousands of dollars.
The Council has so far spent more than $5,000 removing traffic cones precariously perched atop tall trees across the city, particularly in its eastern suburbs.
Manager City Works, Barry McDaid said pranksters have been scaling traffic lights, Norfolk pines and other tall tree species at night, apparently without any safety measures, to place the plastic orange cones on their crowns.
“These pranksters are becoming more daring in terms of the height of the trees they’re climbing and the unsteady branches they’re traversing to reach the top,” he said.
“We’re talking trees up to 25 metres in height. As they say: it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt, and in this case, it could be a serious injury or even death.”
Mr McDaid said there could be a lasting environmental impact of the activities, with the traffic cones stunting tree growth and having potential long-term impacts on their health.
“They’re also causing damage to the branches when climbing the trees, leaving behind ‘hangers’ – partly broken limbs that might later detach and create a hazard for anyone below,” he said.
“These require additional time and resources to remove, and the cones themselves present a significant danger if they fall onto someone or something below.”
The risky act, also known as ‘coning’, has gained prominence on social media and is particularly well-known in New Zealand, where trees up to 50 metres in height have been scaled and ‘coned’.
Anyone with information about the local coning incidents is urged to contact Council on 4921 0333 or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
