RESIDENTS and community leaders have been left “outraged” after an area of historic woodland was torn down.

On Saturday, the owner of an area of woodland at Scoreys Copse, Horton Heath began pulling down trees with, what is described as, a digger.

Despite residents notifying councillors, who visited the site, along with the councils enforcement officers and police, the tree cutting is said to have continued.

It is claimed that around 100 trees have been cut down without permission, some with tree preservation orders on them and now, have been piled up in a pile the size of “a small bungalow” and set alight using petrol and tyres.

​Hampshire Chronicle: Tree's cut down at Scoreys Copse on Botley Road, Horton Heath Police attending the incident at Scoreys Copse on Botley Road, Horton Heath. Photo by: Councillor Michelle Marsh.

The first councillor to be notified of this, Cllr Michelle Marsh said she told the owner of the land to stop, but despite this, they carried on.

She added: “We’re in a climate emergency and then we’ve got unscrupulous developers saying its my land and I can do what I want to, which is absolutely unacceptable.

“It took him a day of working to annihilate a woodland which has taken roughly 100 years to grow.”

Cllr Marsh is now pushing for a restoration order to be put in place, but says “nothing can replace the damage”.

A council spokesperson said: “The Council’s Enforcement, Environmental and Legal teams are now working together on an appropriate course of enforcement action.”

It is also claimed that there is an airport pipeline below the site, which could be damaged by the digger and fire.

Hampshire Chronicle: Tree's cut down at Scoreys Copse on Botley Road, Horton Heath. Police attending the incident at Scoreys Copse on Botley Road, Horton Heath. Photo by: Councillor Michelle Marsh.

Cllr Rupert Kyrle, cabinet member for the environment, said: “Its just horrific. We need to try and do what we can, across the borough to look after our countryside.

“We understand that we need to make progress in areas but we also need to understand that the environment is really important too.”

Eastleigh MP, Paul Holmes who has also been working with the council and police on the incident said: “This act of environmental vandalism is shameful and completely wrong. I hope the person responsible feels the full weight of the law.”