Stop The Chop protesters force council retreat in campaign to save age-old trees by Newark's London Road Carpark

Protesters successfully forced a council to abandon a bat survey they saw as precursor to the chopping down of age-old trees today.

Stop The Chop protesters have been keeping a round-the-clock vigil on a green space by Newark Library where four mature trees face being cut down to make way for a carpark extension.

The word went out that Newark and Sherwood District Council intended to fell the trees today and around 50 protesters hurriedly made their way to the site to prevent that happening.

However, that was not the intent of the council, rather to carry out an ecology survey instead, which involves checking to see whether bat boxes placed in the trees have been used.

The council had a bat expert attend and had a cherry picker on site to lift him up to the level of the bat boxes.

This would have involved slicing through a section of hedgerow from the London Road carpark for access.

Both sides called the police to attend, the campaigners to ensure a wildlife crime wasn't being committed and the council staff accompanying the expert, who refused to divulge his credentials, to ensure there was no breach of the peace.

Officers did attend and tense verbal confrontations were witnessed with campaigners threatening to prevent the hedgerow being cut and block the path of the cherry picker.

Stop the Chop also feared that making a gap in the hedgerow would represent the commencement of works, which has to happen this month, which is when the planning consent for the carpark extension runs out.

A police officer said he was there to ensure there was no breach of the peace and warned there would be arrests if the protesters interfered with lawful activity.

He said council officers had said the findings of the ecological survey would be reported back to the district council who would then decide what happens next based on the findings.

One protester said: "On the day Cop26 begins, they're talking about arresting old ladies. The council has stooped to a new low.

Another protester said: "They have kids and need their open spaces too. I can't understand why this is happening."

Another said: "We believe that if the bat boxes are interfered with, then an environmental crime will be committed because we have evidence we believe to be of roosting."

Council staff spoke to the attending police officers as a stand-off ensued.

They were heard to say that a Plan B was needed and the site would need to be secured so they could go about their business.

Police and council staff then left.

An officer said to the protesters: "As you have reminded me several times, my role here is to ensure the peace and that the law is adhered to. My opinions onwhat is happening here are my own and you won't get to learn them.

The protesters gathered together in song in defence of the trees.

Campaigner Jay Henderson, A Green Party town councillor, then told the Advertiser: "People will stay here to see what their next move is. I have seen some strong determination here. We will be here long term. People have said whatever direct action they need to stop these trees being felled, and that is a matter of choice."

Keith Girling, deputy leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council said, “An independent fully qualified ecologist, accompanied by council officers, visited the site at London Road carpark today to undertake an up to date ecological report.

"This report would have identified whether or not there were bats present at the site as the protesters have claimed.

"However, during the visit a group of around 50 protesters stopped this survey from happening.

"To date, those campaigning against the loss of trees have expressed their views with passion and respect but disappointingly, things took a turn for the worse today.

"Staff were verbally abused, called ‘scum’ and intimidated during the course of their duties. That’s completely unacceptable.

"The council was faced with a tremendously difficult choice of retaining four trees at a cost of £600,000 and decided that, notwithstanding its commitment to the environment, this was too high a price to pay given its responsibilities to local tax payers and the whole of Newark and Sherwood.”