Sheffield tree felling petition tops 4,000

Residents on Wayland Rd in Sheffield try to persuade contractors not to fell the trees

More than 4,000 people have called for a "stay of execution" for trees set to be felled in Sheffield.

A petition was started in May when 12 trees on Rustlings Road in the south west of the city were scheduled for the chop.

Earlier, Wayland Road residents stopped tree surgeons removing around 10 trees.

The tree felling is part of Sheffield City Council's £2bn road improvement works, Streets Ahead, a five-year project being carried out by Amey.

The Wayland Road trees were due to be cut down by tree surgeons Acorn Group, sub-contractors of Amey.

'City of trees'

David Kelly, a Wayland Road resident, said: "Some of these trees do need replacing, but not all of them.

"We're a little concerned that what is happening here is more ease of maintenance than seriously looking at [what needs to be done with] the trees in the area.

"Sheffield is the city of trees."

Protestors said they were "calling a moratorium on all tree-felling across the city" until independent experts assess the trees.

The council said it only felled trees when really necessary, and safety on pavements was the priority.

Tree surgeons at Wayland Road in Sheffield