Residents are furious that up to 50 oak trees were victims of a chainsaw attack which has devastated woodland in a country lane.
Villagers leapt to defend the trees in Whistley Mill Lane, which leads from Hurst towards the River Loddon ford and The Heron on the Ford pub at Charvil.
Wokingham Borough Council councillor for Hurst, Wayne Smith, was deluged with calls on Sunday for help to stop the destruction.
Land in the rural lane with few homes has been marketed by Barnard Marcus, Hammersmith Auctions, as having potential for future development for two substantial homes. The guide price was £100,000.
This week that advertisement on the rightmove website is marked: “This property has been removed by the agent”.
Cllr Smith said: “On Sunday I found five or six men with chain saws and asked them what they were doing. They said they were cutting trees down and I asked them why.
“They said they’d been told to clear the whole site and it had all been approved.”
Cllr Smith went home to alert the council’s ecological, rights of way, tree and enforcement experts.
On Tuesday he nailed up the Tree Preservation Order Wokingham Borough has put on “two woodlands south of Whistley Bridge, Whistley Mill Lane” to protect the trees
there.
It is understood the land ownership changed hands recently for around £40,000.
“I’m absolutely disgusted people think they can come in and ruin the countryside. To help the environment we’re trying to grow more trees,” added Cllr Smith.
“Thirty to 50 oaks, some up to 60 years old, have been destroyed in the space of a few hours. It’s dreadful. This is a lovely area, popular with walkers from Woodley, Twyford and Charvil as well as Hurst.”
Hurst Village Society has now emailed hundreds of members telling them the woodland has been devastated and to be vigilant. Cllr Smith has asked them to report to any further felling to Wokingham Borough Council and himself.
One villager complained about the felled trees being left covering the footpath there.