Laura Dallas, of Moubray Road, became suspicious when she received a letter informing her that “tree maintenance” was due to take place at the copse on Ridge Way at the back of her house and alerted the Forestry Commission.

After discovering that housing developers Springfield Properties did not have a felling licence, the organisation ordered them to stop, preserving the woodland including one tree which is more than a century old.

Speaking to the Press, Laura said, “I’m glad I went ahead and looked into it or else the rest of the trees would have been cut down. My garden backs onto the copse but it is below the level of the trees. My main concern was that if they took out all those trees then my property, and my neighbours’ properties, could be subject to flooding.

“I’m really annoyed they’ve done it without permission. They must have known they would need it and it just seems a bit sneaky they’ve tried to get round it this way. I felt they had been underhanded. Felling an entire forest isn’t tree maintenance.” After receiving a letter telling her that works were due to start on Monday 30th March, Laura did some digging to find out exactly what the plans were.

“I called Councillor Alice McGarry, who said there was very little the council could do, and then I called the Forestry Commission. They checked and they didn’t have a felling licence so they’ve gone and stopped it.

“The Forestry Commission thanked me for letting them know and said there was no reason why the trees should have been touched, certainly not without permission. Apparently one of the trees is at least 120 years old and they said it would be an absolute tragedy if it was knocked down.” Fife Council is now placing a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on some of the trees and the woodland copse to protect the area and Laura said, “I’m delighted. It means the trees will stay where they are. If I hadn’t got in touch, they would have felled them all.” Although work had already begun on cutting down trees, the Forestry Commission is unlikely to take the case further due to the poor quality and volume of timber.

A spokesperson said, “Thanks to the speedy alert of this from the local resident we were able to go out to the site and investigate quickly. The on-site contractors were cooperative and agreed to stop felling. After further discussions we agreed that some trees, which were in poor health, could continue to be cut down and that rhododendron could be removed.

“Our woodland officer, along with the council’s tree officer, have been to the site again and met with the lady who first raised concerns. We explained what work is allowed to be carried out and our understanding is that she is content with this. The council will also be placing a TPO on some of the better trees on the site and also the woodland copse found there – these measures will protect the trees.” Last summer, Springfield Properties submitted plans to build 56 homes in Dalgety Bay before withdrawing them in February this year.

Manager Alan Esson said, “Following winter storms a number of concerned residents contacted us worried that falling trees could cause serious damage. At the same time we became aware that the trees were blocking signals from a local radio mast and we were asked to remedy the situation. The felling which has been carried out is permissible and we continue to work with the Forestry Commission on future management of the area.”