Residents in Oxford staged a musical protest yesterday to try to save up to a dozen willow trees from being cut down.
About 30 Osney Island residents staged a dawn protest to stop Oxford City Council cutting down the 40ft trees which line the towpath along East Street.
Oxford City Council has found the willows are rotten and dangerous, but residents say they have not been consulted over the felling and fear the trees will not be replaced.
Resident Annabel Dunstan said residents first heard about the plans when they saw notices stuck on their cars asking them to make way for the tree surgeon.
She said: "Ten to 12 trees are being cut down completely, which is disastrous. There has been no consultation whatsoever.
"The aesthetic of the street is going to be completely bulldozed.
"There are so few streets that combine the city and the river. It's a conservation area. I don't think they quite anticipated the strength of feeling.
"They are absolutely beautiful and really add to the culture and the ambiance along the towpath."
Ms Dunstan added residents also believed bats were nesting the trees, which would mean the council would need a licence to chop them down.
Richard Lewis, a composer who lives on the street, took his piano out onto the towpath as part of the protest.
He said: "I just felt it was so tragic to watch the trees come down without marking it in some way. If the council won't listen to words, maybe they will listen to music."
Susanna Pressel, city councillor for Jericho and Osney, said the trees must be replaced.
She said: "Council officials have known for three or four weeks they would have to come down, but one resident only found out about it on Thursday.
"The council says there is no budget for replacing the trees. It is a conservation area and everyone loves the sight of them, they absolutely have to be replaced."
She said official surveys must be carried out to find out if bats are roosting in the trees.
City council spokesman Louisa Dean said: "Following an inspection by our arboricultural officer we discovered that the trees had extensive decay. We have to remove nine trees on the grounds of health and safety.
"However, we are waiting for a bat inspection to be undertaken by a consultant. Once this has been completed we will commence with the tree work as a matter of urgency."
The trees are on highways land, which is the responsibility of Oxfordshire County Council and the two authorities are discussing replacements.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article