Go to the council and ask to see the TPO maps.

Under no circumstances tell them who or where you live, and do not
point on the map to your tree.

If its not on the map, there is no TPO. You could even ask for a
photcopy of the area of the map.

I had a customer who wanted a large tree down. As with any Tree men
you always check before you start work on the same day. I had checked,
but as I had problems on another job, the job did not start till the
next day. The council had gone out and immediatly slapped a TPO on it.
After the owner went throu all the procedures, he still lost. The tree
is still standing, and he moved on.

You have to preform a risk assessment before any job, and the best way
of dismantling and removing it safetly.

Another problem is checking whether the contractors is a Registered
Carrier of Waste' Reg Nos EAN/942316 as required under 'The Control of
Pollution Act 1989'

Many are not and its breaking the law, even you would be treated as a
criminal in allowing waste to be transfered. The police in certain
areas are checking 'white vans' and ther contents.