VILLAGERS have hit out at their parish council after it cut down half of the trees on a community green.

Eight of the 16 lime trees on the land between White Horse Crescent and Woodhill Drive in Grove were axed.

Grove Parish Council said the work was part of routine management to stop trees overgrowing but accepted it should have told householders.

Raymond Pond, 59, of Woodhill Drive, said the trees appeared healthy. He added: “It is just vandalism to me. They have taken over 30 years to grow and they have been cut down in five minutes.

“I have lived here most of my life and watched them grow up. It has ruined the area now. We used to get a lot of birds and it was really pleasant.”

Mark Sliney, 43, of Boucher Close, said: “We knew nothing about it. I cannot see what harm the trees were doing and I think it has ruined the appearance of the area.

Work to remove the trees began on Monday, November 7. Parish clerk Graham Mundy admitted warning notices should have been pinned to the trees, adding: ”I hold my hands up for that as it is my responsibility to get it done.”

But he said the trees had to be felled as part of the ongoing management of the area, adding: “The younger trees that have been left will have the chance to grow.”