COUNCILLORS in Hyndburn gave the chop to a colleague's application to fell a tree in woodland behind his garden.

Coun Anthony Bushell wanted to chop down the mature oak tree - protected by a preservation order - on the grounds that it posed a danger.

The tree in Laund Clough woodland, Baxenden, is leaning towards Coun Bushell's house in Southwood Drive.

Planning councillors agreed that they had to be consistent in their policy and could not give preferential treatment to a colleague.

They said Coun Bushell should instead be allowed to prune the tree to stop it leaning.

However, Coun Chris Reid said that, on occasions, the best option might be to allow felling to prevent poor pruning turning trees into eyesores.

He explained: "Sometimes lopping a tree makes it look 50 times worse. Felling would be preferable in such circumstances."

Planning chief Phil Barwood said it was best to allow specialists to carry out tree pruning.

He said: "There is a good and a bad way to prune a tree. Tree officers will get good results, but, if people do it themselves, the tree can look quite disastrous."

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