Illegal Man fined £9k for axing historic trees that made dog sick
AMAN living in a Cotswolds village has been fined almost £9,000 by a court after he chopped down three healthy apple trees in his back garden without prior permission.
Despite being warned that the trees were protected, they were felled in March, 2023. The trees were part of the wider conservation area in Blockley, which is in the north of the Cotswolds, and as such required council permission before being felled. The homeowner – Ismail Elmagdoub, of Bath Orchard– said that apples falling from the tree had made his dog sick and caused wasps to swarm around his family home.
In March of this year, Elmagdoub hired a contractor to chop down the three healthy apple trees in his back garden. At the time, a neighbour saw him trying to cut down the trees and warned that they were in a conservation area, but was ignored.
The trees are thought to have been around 60 years old and part of a wider historic orchard that was on the site from the 1890s. After admitting guilt in front of Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court, Mr Elmagdoub apologised for the felling of the trees and stated that he “acted without thought” when he ordered the trees to be chopped down.
Mr Elmagdoub was fined £4,224 and ordered to pay an additional £2970 in costs and a victim surcharge of £1690, taking the total Mr Elmagdoub has to pay to £8,884. The prosecution was brought by Cotswold District Council’s Heritage and Conservation team.
Robert Weaver, chief executive of Cotswold District Council, said: “Preserving our natural heritage is a shared responsibility and we encourage residents to engage with us to ensure sustainable decision-making. The outcome of this case underscores the importance of engaging with the council to ensure we protect our shared environment for future generations.”
More information concerning trees in conservation areas can be found on the council’s website at https://tinyurl. com/5m47u4k2