Tadley Tree Cut Down at Midnight: Outrage!

A tree residents in Tadley fought to save during the pandemic has been felled by Basingstoke and Deane Council, which residents say did the work under the cover of darkness.

"This is another example of the Liberal Democrat/BDI -led Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council getting the communication badly wrong," exclaimed the village Facebook page.

A tree that residents fought to save in 2020 disappeared before most people were even awake. "Residents deserve openness - not waking up to find a treasured landmark has gone."

The council said it reluctantly removed a large oak on New Road after a routine inspection found a significant split in its stem and an independent assessment judged it an immediate risk to road and path users.

Hampshire County Council's highways team put in an emergency road closure so contractors could work safely. Because of the urgency, the council said there was no chance to warn residents beforehand.

Out-of-hours contractors began at about 5pm and worked into the early hours, using petrol chainsaws and a woodchipper; Hampshire police attended after noise complaints. The council apologised for the disturbance and said safety must be the priority, while acknowledging residents' sadness at losing the oak.

Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter