Council spends thousands in tree-felling battle

Thousands of pounds have been spent by a council as it battles protesters over the felling of a 120-year-old tree, a town mayor said.

Wivenhoe Town Council, in Essex, must axe the Old King George oak after reports showed it was causing subsidence at nearby homes.

Campaigners delayed the felling last week after barricading the tree with their cars and setting up an encampment.

Mayor Denise Burke said the council was in a race against time to chop the oak down before it became liable for damage on 1 February.

The deadline was set by insurer Aviva after residents living in the affected properties complained about the damage.

Aviva held negotiations with the council for four years, but said action must be taken after three reports concluded the tree was the root cause of the problem.

The work has been subsequently delayed as a result of protests at the site.

Burke alleged progress also stalled when a tree surgeon was "intimidated and harassed" out of doing the work.

"Protesters were gunning for him and you can't blame him for wanting to walk away," claimed Burke.

The mayor said vehicles illegally parked near the tree for more than a week were removed on Wednesday.

However, a small encampment of people has remained at the site.

"The next step is to have the protesters removed from the site because that still holds us back," Burke added.

"While we have responsibility to remove the tree, we will do everything in our power to meet that responsibility."

Police were called to a peaceful protest on 13 January as contractors attempted to install fencing at the site.

The combined costs of security, fencing and legal representation was seeing the council's bill "ramping up into the thousands"," Burke explained.

She added: "Businesses are also now feeling the pinch because customers are saying they have nowhere to park."

Campaigners insist their efforts have been peaceful and focused on saving the tree.

They said they believed there could be other reasons why the homes in Clifton Terrace were being damaged, including the effects of a nearby railway line.

Legal representatives from both the council and protesters are due to meet on Friday in a bid to resolve the issue.

"I have hope that we can still find a solution but the clock is ticking," said 31-year-old protester, Kat Scott.

"It's caused real upset in the community and I think it's going to do a lot of long-term damage for the council."

An Aviva spokeswoman said it was "working hard to provide a solution".

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.