Record fine over tree felled to improve hot tub view

A man in Dorset has been given what is thought to be a record fine of £75,000 for hiring a tree surgeon to cut down a protected pine in his neighbour's garden.

Neil Davey paid Thomas McGuire to carry out the act, leaving him with "uninterrupted views of the Purbeck Hills and harbour from his hot tub", the court heard.

The tree-felling increased the value of Davey's property by £50,000, but has cost him far more as Joe Campbell reports.