RESIDENTS are worried their house will collapse in a landslide after scores of trees were chopped down.
A couple living in Canal View, Chirk Bank, told Weston Rhyn Parish Council their concerns after a steep bank of land on Chirk Road, owned by Trevor Brynkinalt Estate, was cleared.
The trees were cut down over concerns they could cause a major accident if they fell onto the busy B5070 or damage a nearby powerline.
It was also thought the copse overshadowed the newly-built housing development at Avondale.
But now the couple, who did not wish to be named, have been left fearing for their safety.
The resident said: “The trees have been decimated.
“I’m rather worried that my house will go slipping down the bank now the trees have gone.
“It seems like they’ve felled all the trees willy nilly,” they added.
The couple believe the trees played a big role in securing the ground on the bank and fear that now the trees have gone the soil will become saturated, because there is nothing to absorb groundwater, and be more likely to slip.
Speaking at last Monday’s council meeting chairman Glyn Evans admitted he was a little in the dark over the matter and said: “I thought they were just thinning it out and then the next time I came past the whole lot had gone.”
The ugly state the bank has been left in also came in for some criticism from the parish council.
But Councillor Maggie Rowlands backed the move, claiming everything had been handled above board and no-one was at risk.
“The Estate sought English Heritage advice and a licence from the Forestry Commission.
“All the roots are still there so they will still hold the bank up and the trees will grow again.
“The trees at the top of the bank closest to the houses were left in place to secure the land,” she added.
And she told the council, shrubs would be planted to bring the bank back to life.
Iain Hill-Trevor, director of the Estate, said anyone with any concerns about the work could contact him on 01691 773424.