Maurice McNeely, a local resident, told the Advertiser: "The local residents association had been keeping an eye on the developers and were particularly interested in this line of trees to ensure their survival as far as possible, as the initial planning consent said the trees were not to be touched.

"Residents were there when the men arrived with chainsaws and we asked them not to proceed until we had double checked with the council, but they carried on, despite the remonstrations of local residents.

"The developer reckoned he had permission to cut them down, but we've yet to see it in writing.

"The bottom line is that there is no building going on. The site has been locked up. With no building work commencing why cut down the trees? It is all a bit of a mystery. If they were to come down it should have been in the winter.

"We are really cross, it is not the time to do it. The line of trees was used heavily by local and migratory birds, for shelter and feeding. It is all very unnecessary and unfortunate.

"We are not against the development, we're just trying to protect the tree-line."

However, a representative of Northern Heritage told the Advertiser that the borough council had given written permission at the end of last year for the trees to come down.

"When the planning enforcement officers came down last Wednesday we showed them the letter on Berwick Borough Council paper and they went away," he said.

"We have been speaking to the council over the past four or five months about a number of things, including the trees.

"Building the houses would have interfered with the tree roots. The houses and trees were not compatible."

He added that the company had employed a firm of tree experts some time ago to formulate a plan for tree-planting on and around the site, which the developer then put to the county council, but has heard nothing back.

"Nobody is willing to talk to us about a tree-planting scheme. I don't really know what more we can do.

"What we would like to do is soften the development into the village green with planting."

A Berwick Borough Council spokesperson said: "The developers had been granted permission to remove the trees on the site at Dock Road.

"This was based on an arboriculturist report which was submitted about the trees. It highlighted that the proposed development would irreparably damage the trees because the roots would be disturbed meaning the trees would fail and die.

"It is a condition of the consent that the developers submit a detailed landscaping plan for the site and the council will ensure that this is followed up," he said.

An application by Northern Heritage to Berwick Borough Council for temporary change of use for storage, parking and accommodation of land adjacent to the former coating and blending mill on Dock Road was refused by the planning committee in April last year.

The decision went against the planning officer's recommendation which he put forward with the following condition attached, indicating that in April 2007 the council considered that the trees were fine where they were.

"The trees adjacent to this site shall not be removed or otherwise interefered with, and shall be protected at all times during construction and building operations, by the erection of substantial timber fences around the trees, together with such other measures as are necessary to protect the trees and their roots from damage.

"Details of the methods it is proposed to use shall be submitted by the applicant to the Local Planning Authority and be approved by them in writing.

"The approved protective measures shall be undertaken before any works commence on the site and must, thereafter be observed at all times until the development is completed.

"Reason: To ensure that adequate precautions are taken to protect trees during building operations."

The officers report also stated that the trees were an 'important visual feature which the Local Planning Authority consider should be substantially maintained' and which could not be felled, lopped, lifted or disturbed in any way without written consent from the council.

The representative from Northern Heritage confirmed that building work on the site would not commence until it was 'viable' to do so.