RESIDENTS of a quiet suburb of Blackburn today blasted Blackburn with Darwen Council for lopping more than 20 trees in primary school grounds.

Neighbours close to Longshaw Junior School in Park Lee Road claim the move will disrupt wildlife in the area.

Twenty two trees which have been there for more than 40 years were being hacked down this week at the school but Blackburn with Darwen Council said the trees were found to be unsafe in a 12 month management survey -- commissioned by individual schools -- and had to be axed.

Yvonne Riley, 40, whose Pilmuir Road home backs on to the school grounds, said: "The trees were there when I went to school; my daughter, too.

"It will get to the stage where there is no green left in the area and children won't know what a tree is.

"There are squirrels, bats, owls and all sorts of wildlife in this area and they will be totally disrupted. There was no need to pull down those trees. They should just be looked after."

Residents claim they should have been told about the landscaping plans.

Beryl Riley, 50, of Sunny Bank Road, said: "There is nothing wrong with them. A council officer even had to come down and check the work because he knew nothing about it at first. They don't look dangerous or diseased to me."

But around 30 trees -- including Sycamore, Poplar and Silver Birch -- were found to suffer from cavities or unsafe branches when the environmental consultant from the council checked as part of the survey.

And several others will be cut back -- changing the look of the school woodland.

There is no preservation order on the trees which means residents have little power to stop the felling.

Louise Wood, a Local Education Authority spokesperson, said: "The survey is undertaken as part of a tree management policy to safeguard younger trees from disease, abide by guidelines on safety and replenish woodland areas. The conclusions are held by the individual schools."

Tree specialist Ian Rae, working with two colleagues on the site, said: "Everything is above board and carefully planned.

"The tree consultant came to do the analysis and we have now started the three phase programme to make the area safe and environmentally healthy.

"Any tree deemed unsafe is felled, others are cut back and the third stage is re-planting."

A resident from Park Lee Road, who declined to be named, said: "There is nothing wrong with what they are doing if it is a process of rejuvenation.

"In fact it is very wise of the school to undertake the survey to make sure there is no possible chance that children could be hurt from fallen branches."