OXFORD City Council has apologised for failing to tell a woman why they chopped down two mature trees outside her home.

The 40ft specimens were felled in Blay Close, Blackbird Leys, on Wednesday after the city council declared them diseased.

However, Maggie McHugh, who has lived in the street for 40 years, was given no explanation when she called the council and had to get local councillor Val Smith involved before she found out why the ash trees were removed.

Mrs McHugh said: “They have been completely taken down, although they looked pretty healthy to me and they had leaves on them.

“I’ve been here for 40 years and they were well established when I moved in.

“I saw the people up there cutting them and I thought they were just pruning them, but it didn’t take long for me to realise they were taking them down.

“I rang Shaun Gibson (the council’s tree officer) but was told he wasn’t in so they couldn’t give me a reason.

“So I contacted Val Smith.

“She told me the council had said they were diseased, but they looked fine to me. I’m annoyed they could give her an explanation but not me, even though I live here.

She added: “The workmen were done in a couple of hours so I couldn’t really do a lot about it.

“We were given no warning that it was going to happen, it just happened so quickly. It’s noticeable now the trees aren’t there.

“I used to like looking up at them in the morning and hearing the birds sing. I’m also worried about the environmental effects of cutting them down.”

Council spokesman Louisa Dean said: “Two ash trees have been removed in Blay Close as they were dying. We are unable to inform everyone of work that we are carrying out.

“However, we should have given Mrs McHugh the information she required when she rang our parks team.

“We will ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”