Council 'butchers' more than 50 trees as it saws off tops along smart residential street

A resident accused her local council of not warning neighbours of its trimming intentions, but the town hall says the work is needed to keep the trees healthy.

17:05, Thu, Dec 21, 2023 | UPDATED: 19:45, Thu, Dec 21, 2023

A view of the pollarded lime trees in Bournemouth

Bournemouth council has been accused of butchering lime trees in a street in the city (Image: BNPS)

A council has been accused of "butchering" more than 50 trees which line a street in Bournemouth. Lime trees had their branches sawn off in Churminster Avenue, reportedly without residents being notified.

A woman who has lived in the Dorset street for two years said she saw seven vans and men in harnesses chopping off branches, with truckloads of chippings ferried away.

Carlie Palmer told the Bournemouth Echo: "I can't believe the butchery that has happened. I just can't understand how they get away with it."

She claimed Bournemouth and Poole Council (BPC) didn't tell residents about the work. BCP said the work is done every five years to ensure the trees remain healthy and do not pose a risk to people.

A view of the trees before they were pollarded

The trees were home to birds, squirrels and butterflies in summer, one local says (Image: BNPS)

Ms Palmer described it as "quite an environmental disaster" as every tree in the avenue had been cut back.

She said the trees were home to squirrels, birds and lots of "beautiful" butterflies in the summer due to all the vegetation.

The businesswoman added the avenue is lined with "beautiful" trees and now just has stumps.

Ms Palmer said all she cares about is that there was a valid reason to do "that much harm" to the trees.

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An aerial view over Bournemouth towards the sea

Bournemouth council says the work is carried out every five years to ensure the trees remain healthy (Image: Getty)

BCP insists the trees were being pollarded in a cyclical process it has been carrying out for decades.

It maintains pollarding is a process which, once begun, has to continue for the reminder of the trees' lives to ensure their health and the safety for the public.

The local authority believes the trees in Churminster Avenue have been growing along the route for more than 50 years.

It is likely they were first pollarded 15 to 20 years after they were planted. The trees are re-pollarded every five to six years.