Meeting over 'what went wrong' with tree felling

Residents were upset by tree felling on the Midland Mainline earlier this year

Network Rail will host a meeting with residents over the "horrifying" felling of trees along a railway line near Higham.

The firm said it would discuss "what went wrong" with vegetation management along the Midland Mainline, which "fell short of our standards".

Work was carried out by an external contractor earlier this year to ensure rail services would continue to be safe and reliable, but residents said the work near Higham, Derbyshire, included the felling of healthy oak and birch trees.

Sarah McRow, 56, co-owner of Brackenfield Alpacas, described the felling as "unnecessary and an extreme overreach" and has called for Network Rail to set out a restoration plan.

"I want them to admit wrongdoing and I would like to see changes in their vegetation management procedures," she added.

Sarah McRow and Andy McCormick said the work had devastated the area

Ms McRow said she believed the contractor responsible for the work was terminated by Network Rail.

Network Rail said fencing work had been delayed because of a "change of contractor" but declined to comment further.

The BBC has contacted the contractor believed to have carried out the work initially, but has not received a response.

A report completed in June by the Tree Council charity said "good work" was carried out at Duffield and north of Wingfield station/Higham Bridge.

However, it added there was "much poorer work" between Wingfield and Higham.

The report said that south of Higham Bridge, contractors had felled oaks which could have been retained but left ash and other live trees that were "showing signs of ash dieback".

The report added Network Rail should "seek answers" from the contractors as to why "such different specifications had been applied to very similar stretches of line – north and south of Higham bridge".

The charity said this had "not helped Network Rail with both its vegetation management in the area and its relations with the community".

A spokesperson for Network Rail, which is holding the meeting at The Santos Farm Hotel from 18:00 GMT on Friday, said: "We agreed to hold this week's public meeting to discuss with the community what went wrong with the initial vegetation clearance and why, and what's been done since to rectify matters, including our replanting work with the Tree Council."