Yew berry hazard on Yewberry Lane, Newport
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Yew berry hazard on Yewberry Lane, Newport by Jaggery as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk

Image: © Jaggery Taken: 3 Dec 2009
It is well known that the seed inside the yew berry http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1036026 is poisonous to humans, but the immediate hazard here is caused by the berries themselves, which fall on to the pavement. When squashed, they release a gelatinous substance which in wet weather causes the pavement to become very slippery. The photo shows the steep incline, which can cause problems for the unwary pedestrian hurrying down the hill along the pavement under the tree. Yews can live for many centuries. Perhaps it was this very tree whose berries inspired the naming of the lane at an unknown date.