A FURIOUS mum says a a 'massacre' has taken place after eight trees were hacked down near her home.

Kirsty Saunderson, 36, of Muirdykes Avenue in Port Glasgow, is angry that the trees were cut down by a housing association without any consultation with residents.

The mum-of-two says the trees looked fine and only needed to be pruned, adding that they gave her and her neighbours' homes some privacy.

She said: "I was devastated when I saw this happening.

"I was working from home and I saw them cutting down the trees from my kitchen window.

"When I asked why they were being cut down the man said he thought they were being deemed unsafe.

"They have been there for years, I used to climb these trees as did my daughter, who is 13.

"She is very upset about it.

"All they needed was pruned to let the light through.

"It's like a massacre.

"It feels so empty now - it looks like a wee tree graveyard.

"It's sad and I'm really upset about it."

Link Housing Association, who are the landlords and factors in the area, did the work.

The only notice residents received was a notice placed in the car park on Muirdykes Avenue, telling people not to park their cars there between October 17-19.

Great-grandfather Jon Vosper, who lives nearby, said he was 'gutted' to see the trees had been axed and called his ward councillor Jim MacLeod to complain.

He added: "I thought they were just going to trim them back.

"There were Rowan trees and Sycamore trees and I don't think there was anything wrong with them.

"If they had to take them down, then they should plant two or three trees to compensate."

Councillor MacLeod says he asked both Link and Inverclyde Council about the tree felling.

He said: "My constituent is upset as to why this has happened particularly at a time when we need as many trees to protect our environment and tackle climate change.

"He said no one was informed this was going to happen and there was no consultation."

Cllr MacLeod says Link told him they would pass his concerns on to their estate asset manager nearly three weeks ago but he has heard nothing since, while he added that he was yet to get a reply from the council.

When the Tele contacted Link they said that the trees were cut down because they were in poor condition.

The housing association said: “Following residents raising concerns around safety issues relating to debris falling from the trees and landing on vehicles in the car park at Muirdykes Avenue, our contractor conducted a full assessment of the trees.

“As a result of this, the contractor advised trees surrounding the carpark were in poor condition, presenting a safety risk and should be removed.

“This work was completed safely and in line with correct practices with regards to planning and preservation by our accredited contractor.”

Council bosses confirmed that the location is not in a conservation area and there are no tree preservation orders in place, so no consent was needed.