A "chainsaw massacre" of trees in a Nottingham suburb has left residents upset and confused.
People living in Chilwell have described their disappointment that dozens of trees leading into Chilwell Cemetery in Field Lane, and others in the surrounding area, have been cut down.
Broxtowe Borough Council said the trees were "over-mature" and that it launched a public consultation before felling them - but residents we spoke to were unsure of exactly why tree surgeons were called in.
READ MORE: Get the latest Broxtowe Borough Council stories from Nottinghamshire Live
Malcolm Harrison is an 80-year-old newsagent worker from the Chilwell area. Mr Harrison, and his wife Pauline too, are upset that the trees have been cut down.
Mrs Harrison said: “There are more trees that have been cut down in the area, we call it the chainsaw massacre, the trees were cut around the time when there was a meeting [COP26] going on in Glasgow.
“There were some people complaining about guttering but we don’t know why the trees have been cut down, it was lovely before.”
Jay Holloway, 35, a technician who lives in Beeston, hopes the trees will be re-planted and said: “I come here often and know people in this area, a few people are upset about it and I understand why.
“A few twigs falling into your back garden shouldn’t be the reason multiple trees get cut down. If there were other issues with the trees then yes, I suppose they should have been cut down but if they aren’t planted back then that is shameful.”
Tom Wallis, who is 80, is retired and lives in the area. He said that the trees should have only been cut down for safety reasons.
He said: “The trees shouldn’t have been cut down, we all ought to have an opinion.
“The thing is, it depends on why they’ve been cut down. If it’s for safety reasons, I understand that, but the last two years have been awful and trees, they just brighten everything up.”
A Broxtowe Borough Council spokesperson said: “Following a consultation process with local residents, the trees were felled for a variety of reasons - insurance claims from adjacent properties, branches falling from the trees and issues with blocked drains and gutters in the neighbouring properties.
"The trees were over-mature and had outgrown their location. The council will be running a replacement planting programme with an avenue of 32 new yew trees, which are traditional trees planted within cemeteries and churchyards.”
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