AN outcry by nature lovers has resulted in the council slapping a preservation order on three trees after some were chopped down on a site in Adlington.

Outraged Wendy Heatherington noticed that the 100-year-old beech, ash and sycamore trees in the grounds of a disused old people's home in Railway Road had been cut down last Friday, May 24.

Wendy, a care worker at Grove House, Chorley, lives in Park Road, Adlington, near the Highfields where the trees have been felled. She said: "It is so upsetting. It was a lovely spot. You can see how big and strong they were but now they are gone forever."

Betty Sumner, of Lancaster Close, agreed. She said: "Nobody around here knew this was going to happen. There were no notices put up."

After alerting Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle and local councillors, the borough council investigated and placed a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on three remaining trees nearest to the road.

Mike Gee, the council's development control manager, said: "We received reports that some trees were being felled, we investigated it and took action to protect the remaining trees through a tree preservation order.

"TPOs can be implemented when the trees add to the amenity of the local area."

He said the order will last for six months and make it an offence to carry out any work on the protected area.

The tree felling was ordered by the land owner, Paul Bamber, 59, of Lower Adlington, who once lived in the 175-year-old Highfields. Retired Mr Bamber was in his rights to carry out the work.

He said: "There were no nests in any of the trees which were cut down. I hired a tree expert to cut down the trees and he said that rooks were nesting in one tree which we did not cut down.