Shock and Disbelief

The people of Spelthorne are still waiting for answer and for this area to be put right after work was only partially completed under the guise, that it was to prevent the lights going out in Spelthorne despite the fact that the trees that were removed posed no significant danger to power supplies.

Work was only stopped because the ground was water logged, this was in December, How many people in Spelthorne have been watering there gardens in the last six weeks!

Ashford beauty spot destroyed by National Grid contractors

Posted by Mark Goode on Feb 12, 10 04:21 PM in Local Authority

Spelthorne Council are calling on the National Grid to restore an area of Woodland in Ashford which they left in a 'poor state' after contract work.

Contractors working for the grid removed about 40 mature poplar trees from a piece of land on the A308 near Bronzefield Prison in December to make overhead power lines safe, but they have been accused of 'over-stepping their boundaries' and cutting down more trees than needed and ruining the place.
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Cllr Kevin Flurry, of Stanwell North ward, has worked in the ground maintenance business for 30 years and has completed contractors similar to the one taken out along the A308.

He believes the company overstepped the boundary of their work and have cut down 20 more trees than they should have, ruined the banks of the River Ash by driving tractors through it, turned the area into a swampland, damaged trees and destroyed fences.

He said: "Me any my wife used to love walking through there, but now it is like a swampland. This was an area created for biodiversity for the people of Ashford and is or was a wildlife nesting area. I recently went to a seminar on the Amazon, and the site really reminded me of the 'get in and chop' attitude there.

"I was contacted by some bird watchers the other day who told me how devastated they were. It makes me quite angry how they could do this."

Mr Flurry first became aware of the work when residents of Woodthorpe Road said sand was being dumped nearby, which on closer inspection turned out to be wood chippings.

He said : "The contractors were clearing trees to stop them falling on power lines. I have done this type of work for nearly 30 years so when I went round I knew parts of it had been done incorrectly.

"The contractors did have permission to remove some trees, but they have overstepped their area and I believe the quality of the work is sub-standard."

A spokeswoman for Spelthorne Council said: "The contractors have not yet finished on site but it's been left in a poor state. We are working with them to ensure that when they do return the site is left in best condition possible."

The grid are currently waiting for ground conditions to be met before they can resume