• ALISON McGowan, I know exactly how you must feel in regard to the felling of the magnolia tree, (They chopped down a healthy magnolia, March 25).

There are no words to describe, what a tree means which you unconsciously enjoy every day.

A few years ago I lived in Blundellsands, Sefton, Liverpool. We were informed that mature trees, the length of the road, were to be felled because the roots were making the road rise (slightly) which could cause people to trip.

Then we had to endure the sounds of chainsaws. We had a huge roundabout grassed over in the middle was a beautiful mature willow. It was like a huge fountain, its branches dropping from quite a height and touching the grass below.

The men were in the middle with chainsaws, cutting it down, when a neighbour driving past was so outraged he drove his car onto the roundabout in an effort to stop what was happening.

Quite quickly other neighbours also mounted the roundabout in their cars. And obviously the work stopped. No police sent for! No prosecutions!

The very diplomatic first driver arranged to form a neighbourhood group to join council meetings in order to find an explanation for all this. The work stopped for a few years at least.

We need to set up groups of council tax payers to work to protect trees all over the country. And we need to find out why this continues to happen.

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