Ref. 28659-1MAGISTRATES ordered three companies to pay nearly £12,000 each for chopping down ancient woodland and protected trees on the edge of housing developments in north Swindon.

Project managers Trench Farrow of Old Town; Cotswold Estate Services, a landscaping company from Cirencester, and tree surgeon Kevin Ritchings, who trades as Thames Tree Services from Crick-lade, all pleaded guilty at Swindon Magistrates Court to breaching tree preservation orders.

They were fined £7,500 each and ordered to pay about £4,300 in costs.

In 1987, the then Thamesdown Borough Council issued preservation orders covering individual trees and woodland on land designated for the northern expansion area.

In September 2001 council officers visited the woodland off Thames-down Drive, where housing development had not yet started.

They found large piles of sawdust and tree stumps cut to ground level.

The court heard the woodland, parts of which used to be impenetrable, had become more open and there were large gaps where there were no trees at all.

The native species included ash, oak, maple, ash, hawthorn, poplar, crab apple and blackthorn.

Investigations carried out by Swindon Council enforcement officer David Bristow revealed the trees had been cut by employees of Thames Tree Services as subcontractors to Cotswold Estate Services, which in turn had been asked by Trench Farrow to provide men for some urgent work at the site.

All three companies claimed they did not know the area was subject to tree preservation orders but fully co-operated with the council once the investigation had started.

The chairman of the bench, Stephen Blanchard, said they were amazed none of the three companies checked about to see if tree preservation orders were in place.

"That is carelessness and negligence and all three of you need to look at your own systems," he said.

The court heard a fourth company. Crest Nicholson, was also responsible for breaching the order because it instructed Trench Farrow to clear the area and the council is planning to prosecute Crest.

Speaking after the case Paul Springgay, a director of Trench Farrow, said: "It was a regrettable incident but the court has been fair."