A WILDLIFE trust has come under fire for cutting down trees in the woodland that helped inspire CS Lewis to write The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The land next to the author's former home in Risinghurst, known as 'the real Narnia' is now a nature reserve.

But Narnia has come under attack from chainsaws, insists the man who organises Oxford CS Lewis Tours. And he says the local wildlife trust, BBOWT, is to blame.

Ronald Brind says the trust has needlessly cut down many trees and is changing the character of the woodland that proved an inspiration to the Oxford don.

Mr Brind, author of a guide to CS Lewis in Oxford, said many foreign visitors who visit Lewis's old home were horrified by the shabby state of the reserve.

But the wildlife trust, which owns the CS Lewis Reserve, strongly defended its work, which is part of a long-term strategy to deter vandals and make the reserve more accessible to visitors.

Mr Brind was a boyhood friend of Lewis's stepson, Dougie Gresham, and was a regular visitor to the author's household.

He said: "They have been up there with chainsaws. When I asked what was going on they told me they were taking out all the non-native species. It is disgusting and scandalous. They include trees with three-foot trunks that have taken 60 and 70 years to grow.

"American visitors who come here in search of Lewis are distraught. They think it is horrific. This was CS Lewis's back garden for more than 30 years."

Mr Brind has also complained about the state of the lake and the amount of rubbish strewn about the reserve.

BBOWT said local people had been consulted about a strategy to clean up the reserve after problems with vandals, rubbish dumping and scramble bikes.

Sophie Lewis, of BBOWT, said sycamore trees had been cut down to lighten up the site and encourage wildlife and undergrowth.

Ms Lewis said: "Because of their rapid rate of growth, the trees that have been cut down would not have been there when CS Lewis was walking around.

"Mr Brind wants a lovely place to take American tourists to. But that is not our primary concern."