A hedge believed to date back to ancient times, was partially saved after a teacher stepped in to stop it being uprooted.

Horrified Jane Carey, 47, went into action when she spotted contractors working for Cherwell District Council pulling up the greenery across the road from her home in School Road, Kidlington.

She asked them to stop and they agreed, but two-thirds of the hedge had already been uprooted and was lying on the ground.

Now Ms Carey wants the rest to stay where it is but has called on the council to explain why it was keen to destroy more precious greenery.

She said: "They were digging up the roots this time. Last year they were chopping it down and I phoned the council to ask why.

"They said all they were doing was coppicing it and then would allow it to grow back, but now they've done this. "The hedge used to be part of a field. It was a lovely old hedge and now all I can see is the fence behind it. I can't understand why they want to get rid of more greenery."

Jeremy Sacha, landscape services manager for Cherwell District Council, said the intention is to regenerate, not remove, the hedge.

He said: "We have had a number of complaints from the occupier living next door to the hedge about rubbish and the fence being pushed back by the hedge.

"The offending part of the hedge was elderberry, which is not normally considered precious. We have a policy to protect ancient hedgerows and this is no exception."

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