A NATURE lover has described her dismay after trees were cut back which, she says, were home to dozens of nesting birds.

Eva Ryden, of Lime Tree Walk, Amersham, was mortified when she discovered contractors pollarding the 100-year-old lime trees that line the footpath next to her street.

Pollarding, which involves chopping all the branches of a tree, is carried out on the trees every seven years.

The trees cannot be chopped down completely because they are subject to a Tree Protection Order (PTO). Residents must apply to the council if they want to carry out work on the trees.

Mrs Ryden is adamant that the trees contained the nests of blackbirds and other smaller birds.

The 47-year-old made the discovery on Monday, June 27.

She said: "I was shocked when I saw the first two trees bare, all the greenery had gone. There were no birds, it looked like a holocaust.

"In the morning it was like a symphony. We really enjoyed walking under the trees in the evening but now it just looks very bare."

Brian Hook, of York Close, made the application to the council to request that the trees be pollarded.

He said: "It's for the good of the trees. If the branches get too long and heavy they can fall down during the winter.

"The footpath was like a dark cavern and not very pleasant to walk down."

The work on these trees is usually carried out in the winter and Mr Hook hoped permission would be granted soon after he applied in January. He did not, however, receive permission until June.