RESIDENTS have expressed anger and sadness after around 30 trees were felled in Paxcroft Mead.

Wiltshire Council commissioned Salisbury-based tree surgeons Ridleaves to cut down an area of maple, willow and blackthorn trees in the field between Hackett Place and Moyle Park, next to the play area.

The council has said the trees were felled as they may have been causing structural damage to a nearby garage, but residents think an unnecessary number have been chopped down.

Retired animal welfare officer Sandra Goodson, of Hackett Place, said: “They started felling the trees on Monday but I thought they were only going to cut a few down.

“They then returned on Tuesday and Wednesday cut a whole row of them down.

“It was devastating to see and it’s such a sad loss. It was such a beautiful green area but won’t be any longer, and it also exposes all the houses which were previously covered by the trees.

“I also worry about the birds. Lots of them had nests in those trees. It seems unnecessary.”

Tree surgeons from Ridleaves arrived at the scene on Monday with their chainsaws.

Dominic Ridley, managing director of Ridleaves, said: “Wiltshire Council would not ask us to carry out tree work unless it is absolutely necessary.

“Trees can be culpable of subsidence as they can withdraw moisture from clay soil which can impact the ground and leave nearby buildings at risk of damage which can be very expensive to repair.

“The highly trained and skilled team carries out wildlife assessments to make sure no birds are harmed as the trees are felled.

“This is not just a case of cutting trees down willy-nilly.”

Olga Camacho, of Moyle Park, said: “The trees were very bushy but they could have just trimmed them back, I don’t think they should have cut them down completely.

“The house now feels very exposed and it's next to a park where young people sometimes gather and drink, so it might feel like that protection has been lost when they come back.

“It has also been very noisy all day long.”

Adrian Parker, of Green Lane, who walks in the park daily, said it was "a shame to see a green space ruined for no apparent reason".

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “A property in the Moyle Park area has been damaged due to subsidence caused by trees in that area.

“To help prevent further damage being caused, the council decided to remove trees on adjacent land which it owns.”