Cycleway tree-fellers held back by campaigners

Campaigners objecting to the cutting down of 26 trees to create a new cycleway have prevented fellers from starting work.

The campaigners wrapped themselves around selected trees on Clifford Bridge Road in Binley, leading to police being called.

Local residents had fought a long and fierce campaign to save the trees, including writing a letter to David Attenborough and taking Coventry City Council to the High Court.

While their plight was unsuccessful, they managed to stop any trees from being felled on Thursday, with workmen and police officers leaving by noon.

A spokesman for the West Midlands force said officers were called to the protest about 10:15 GMT but "there was no requirement for police to take any action".

Local resident Martina Irwin told the BBC the group was particularly concerned with "the two most threatened trees", including a silver birch about 50ft (15.2m) tall that was "a number of years old".

She said the campaigners did not want to cause any aggravation.

"We're having a little tree party here so we've got cakes and hot drinks and we've been wrapped around the trees," she said. "We've got some music on, done a bit of dancing."

She said police officers had warned them to leave the area, but "we're not going to do that willingly too quickly."

Martina said she believed too many trees were being felled in Coventry.

"We have 11% canopy cover in our city, way below the West Midlands average, and yet our city council is determined to wipe out all of these oxygen-giving trees," she said.

A spokesperson for Coventry City Council said the authority was able to begin removal of the trees following the conclusion of the legal challenge.

"We will continue to follow due process to ensure we can complete the works in a timely manner," they added.

The authority intends to plant 32 "semi-mature trees" to replace the 26 to be felled.

"The new trees that we plant along Clifford Bridge Road will be better suited to the street environment and they will be rooted in special tree-pits to ensure they thrive long into the future," the spokesperson said.

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