Investigation after trees felled near reserve

An area of trees and bushes has been felled on land off Brandon Lane in Warwickshire

A wildlife trust has said it is "hugely concerned" after claims a large area of trees in Warwickshire was felled illegally.

The stretch of land along Brandon Lane, near Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve outside Coventry, has seen a large number of trees and hedges completely razed to the ground.

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust said it was concerned about the impact it would have on local wildlife, adding that no tree-felling licence was in place.

A spokesman for the Forestry Commission said it has launched an investigation into any illegal tree felling in the area.

The trust, which is based at the nature reserve, said it had "no doubt" that the work would have "directly impacted" a number of legally protected species such as bats and badgers.

"The works present significant increased risk of causing localised flooding due to the compacted nature of the ground caused by the heavy machinery and vegetation clearance," a spokesperson said.

It added that flooding had been more frequent during recent extreme weather events, so the compaction was a serious issue.

"This is a situation that the Trust would expect a thorough investigation and appropriate legal action should be carried out by the relevant authorities based on their findings."