Police have been called in to investigate after trees were hacked down by 'a group armed with chainsaws' in a Tameside neighbourhood.
At least a dozen mature trees are believed to have been cut down on woodland off Stalyhill Drive and Wildbank Chase, near Mottram Rise in Stalybridge.
The woodland was first targeted between Christmas and New Year, before a group returned to continue cutting trees a week later, the Manchester Evening News has been told.
Tameside Council has confirmed the land belongs to them and an investigation into 'alleged criminal damage' is now underway.
Christine Robinson, a resident who regularly walks in the woodland, first heard about the issue when her husband John returned home from a walk with the dog.
She said: "He stumbled on this crowd in the wood with chainsaws, hand saws and ladders up trees.
"The next time we went up there we realised what had happened. Mature trees - at least a dozen - cut down.
"A week later my husband was up the hill with the dog and saw a man up a tree. They had come back to cut more off.
"[My husband] rang me and I ran round. I took pictures of two guys with chainsaws trying to cover their face. I was outraged."
Christine says that when her husband John first noticed the work taking place, he was told that only dead branches were being cut off.
When she saw the group on the second occasion, Christine says they headed to Wildbank Chase before fleeing the scene, and she believes a resident in the area is responsible.
"I cannot explain how upset we have all been," Christine added.
"Even if a prosecution is not possible, to do what they have done is awful."
The woodland is regularly used by walkers and is known to be a haven for wildlife.
A spokesperson for Tameside Council told the M.E.N. : “We are aware of the alleged criminal damage to council property and are investigating further with Greater Manchester Police."
