Seven charged after Sheffield tree protest

The seven people were arrested on Monday in Sheffield

Seven people arrested during a tree-felling protest in South Yorkshire have been charged.

Alison Teal, a Green Party councillor, was among those arrested on Monday as contractors tried to remove trees in Chippinghouse Road, Sheffield.

She is one of four women and three men charged under section 241 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act.

The tree felling is a city-wide maintenance project to upgrade roads, pavements, street lights and bridges.

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The Streets Ahead scheme includes the removal of diseased, damaged or dangerous trees, but campaigners claim healthy trees are also being unnecessarily destroyed.

It is claimed those arrested had refused to move from the base of a tree earmarked for felling. It was later chopped down.

Ms Teal is councillor for Nether Edge and Sharrow.