ANGUS COUNCIL has said the decision to fell trees at Monikie Country Park was taken in the interests of “public safety.”

Angry residents contacted The Courier yesterday after they returned home from work on Thursday evening to discover the woodland stripped bare.

One man—who did not wish to be named—said, “My house looks on to the park and the view has completely changed.

“Where there used to be 10 mature 40-foot trees there is nothing and the trunks were just lying there yesterday morning waiting to be taken away.

“They’re doing it right round beside the water and one of the walks had to be closed off.”

Signs were put up in the country park to inform visitors of the works but a number of residents are furious they were not given prior notification in order to have a say in the decision.

The man went on to say, “I also heard some of the rangers weren’t very happy about the decision.

“I know that residents would have protested if we had been given the chance.”

A council spokeswoman said there had been a number of incidents of large trees at the site being blown over on to the public road and, on one occasion, into a residential garden.

She said, “The decision to fell the remaining larger trees in this location was therefore taken in consideration of public safety and is part of the ongoing manage- ment of the woodland within the park.

“Other less mature trees, which were planted in the area some time ago, will now have more light which will help their development and a further replanting programme for the area has been agreed and will start shortly.”