Why take out 45pc of trees?

Elsewhere, eg Meersbrook Park Road, 45 per cent of the 45 trees on the road have been listed for removal due to “damage”.

If you inspect these trees, you can clearly see that in the vast majority of cases the damage is to curbstones, which is only usually minor.

Such an inspection seriously questions the council’s removal logic.

If this is also the case elsewhere (I don’t have the other figures only those for our road), then 40 per cent of Sheffield trees are being removed simply for minor damage because the can’t be bothered to save them.

The replacement of a mature tree with a young sapling is simply no substitute as they are frequently subject to vandalism resulting in their demise to say nothing of air quality, damage to local houses due to less water take-up and ground heave.

Removal of mature trees can cause your house to be damaged, look it up!

It is unimaginable that the Council’s approaches are being applied widely across the city. In particular Sheffield residents can no longer believe the Council especially following Wednesday’s actions.

Will this become a question for Labour’s popularity in Sheffield? Certainly the Liberal Democrats have been making publicity over it and getting much support.

If the council want to continue to remove trees in Nether Edge, Meersbrook and Heeley without the support of the public, they will have to repeatedly use night- time commando actions.

To what cost, traffic disruption and very importantly Labour support?

Please note the public will support the removal of diseased or seriously damaging trees but the council have to get the public back on side and gain our confidence before we can trust them again.

Some trees will have to come out but 45 per cent, come on!

Howard Wheeler

Meersbrook Park Rd, S8