The things people ask before they call

Six to twelve inches below the surface, depending on the stump and what is around it. That is enough to be rid of it properly and to turf, pave or plant over the spot afterwards.

Almost always. I run four machines, and the smallest, The Terminator, can be carried by hand and fits through any gate. If the access is really tight, send me a photo of the route and I will tell you straight whether it can be done.

Your choice. They can go back into the hole as mulch, which tidies the spot and feeds the soil as it breaks down, or I load them onto the trailer and take them away. I am a registered waste carrier and almost all of it gets recycled.

Yes. Roots lifting a lawn, creeping under a fence or heading for the patio get ground out the same way as the stump they came from.

That is the point of grinding rather than digging. There is no excavator and no crater, so disturbance stays to a minimum around patios, fences, driveways and the plants you actually want to keep. I check what is around the stump before I start, including underground utilities.

Yes. Once the old stump is out the space is yours again, and I offer a planting and replanting service so a new tree or shrub can go in where the stump used to be.

Public liability insurance to five million pounds with Direct Line. NPTC CS30, CS31, CS38 and CS39, plus land based certificates for the safe operation of a stump grinder and a wood chipper. I carry risk assessments and method statements, and the area is made safe before I start and checked again before I leave.

No. Estimates are free. Send a photo with a rough size and a postcode, or I will come and have a look.

Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and North London, plus the towns and villages around them. If you are not sure, call and ask. The van goes further than you would think.