A KIDDERMINSTER man has been left “angry” after trees lining the street he has lived in since birth were “butchered” by the county council.

Ian Kearns, of Imperial Avenue, noticed contractors pollarding the lime trees along his cul-de-sac on Tuesday, September 16 and since then around 16 trees have been worked on.

Worcestershire County Council has however defended its actions, stating the pruning was needed to protect the “safety of both pedestrians and road users”.

Mr Kearns said: “It is very sad and part of the character of the street has been removed.

“The trees make this area such a pleasant place to live in but the aggressive pollarding has stripped them of all their branches leaving simply the trunks.

“Some of this growth will take in excess of 30 years to return and alas possibly exceed any chance of me seeing the trees return to their current mature state.

“At no point was there any consultation with residents regarding this work and it is with an amount of anger that I feel the environment I have grown up in is being removed along with the habitat of many birds and other animals.

“With greater problems affecting the local area such as poor roads and cleanliness I feel the applied budget to performing this pollarding is misplaced.”

The 42-year-old incident manager also questioned the safety risks posed by the trees, explaining that he had never known any of the branches to fall off.

Councillor John Smith, cabinet member with responsibility for highways at Worcestershire County Council, however claimed the work was necessary.

He said: "The lime trees along Imperial Avenue have been re-pollarded in order to ensure the continued safety of both pedestrians and road users.

“Whilst the work may look dramatic initially the trees will soon recover and establish healthy new crowns.

“This is the best method to manage stable growth of the trees and will ensure that they remain an asset of the road for many years to come."