TV naturalist Chris Packham slams ‘appalling’ destruction to Windermere shoreline after private landowner ‘felled an acre of trees illegally’

• Furious neighbours have hit out at the ‘horrendous’ felling of 100-year-old trees

Chris Packham has slammed the ‘appalling’ destruction to Windermere shoreline after private landowner is accused of illegally felling an acre of trees.

People living close to the ‘devastated’ Lake District site say it would have been host to birds, deer, squirrels and polecats – and some of the trees that were heartlessly chopped were more than 100 years old.

Furious neighbours have hit out at the ‘horrendous’ felling, but claim the destruction is merely a sign of an under resourced service which landowners realise cannot protect the historic scenery.

‘There is legislation to prevent this from happening but there isn’t the wherewithal to implement it,’ Packham told The Times.

An email seen by the broadsheet from the Lake District National Park Authority says that they believe engineering operations have taken place in breach of planning control – but they are still yet to take action.

The Forestry Commission also said they had inspected the site and were investigating. If they find the destruction to be unauthorised they could make the owners replant the site.

People living close to the ‘devastated’ Lake District site say it would have been host to birds, deer, squirrels and polecats – and some of the trees that were heartlessly chopped were more than 100 years old

An email seen by the broadsheet from the Lake District National Park Authority says that they believe engineering operations have taken place in breach of planning control – but they are still yet to take action. Pictured: Before the destruction

Furious neighbours have hit out at the ‘horrendous’ felling, but claim the destruction is merely a sign of an under resourced service which landowners realise cannot protect the historic scenery

Chris Packham (pictured) says that now the damage is done there is little hope of the scene’s restoration – as any planting carried out to try and mend the scar is not guaranteed to succeed

But Packham added that now the damage is done there is little hope of the scene’s restoration – as any planting carried out to try and mend the scar is not guaranteed to succeed.

READ MORE: What’s really made glorious Windermere look like a sewer? As Britain’s most iconic lake turns green thanks to toxic algae, locals are in a stink over the true culprit so… is it hot weather, home owners or water bosses, asks ROBERT HARDMAN

He continued: ‘Growing trees is not easy. Trying to keep them alive and hoping they will get to any point of maturity to provide resources for ecology is not a given.’

It comes after conservationists raised the alarm that England’s largest lake is on the brink of annihilation, owing to sewage works pollution, local agriculture and the near 2,000 private septic tanks that line the iconic rural hotspot.

Credited as being the inspiration behind works from Oscar Wilde and William Wordsworth, residents who live on Windermere’s banks say they were ‘astonished’ after the cottage’s brazen occupant ‘laid waste’ to scores of trees.

And they now appear to have begun groundworks on the site – despite having no planning permission.

One said they were concerned that: ‘the guardians of the Lake District simply don’t have the resources to deal with people who are building willy-nilly and flout the process. They cannot protect the jewel in the crown of the English countryside.’

Another – who used to work at the Lake District National Park Authority – added that landowners will ‘push the boundaries’ more and more as they see the authority doesn’t have enough resources to act against them.

Stephen Ratcliffe, Director of Sustainable Development at the Lake District National Park Authority said: ‘The felling of trees on this land is regulated by the Forestry Commission and not the Lake District National Park Authority. 

 The Forestry Commission also said they had inspected the site and were investigating. If they find the destruction to be unauthorised they could make the owners replant the site

Residents who live on Windermere’s banks say they were ‘astonished’ after the cottage’s brazen occupant ‘laid waste’ to scores of trees

Windermere is credited as being the inspiration behind works from Oscar Wilde and William Wordsworth. Pictured: File picture

‘Since the trees were felled ground disturbance has occurred. We are investigating whether this is in breach of planning control, separate of the tree felling which the planning system does not control.

‘We take enforcement very seriously and will take action where and when necessary, hence we rank 21 out of 326 local planning authorities in England for the issuing of enforcement notices. 

‘We have had four successful prosecutions this year, with the most recent case resulting in fines and costs of £126,000 against those being prosecuted. 

‘This is in a context where national park authorities have experienced real term cuts over a number of years, and where most planning authorities in England are under real strain around staffing and resourcing.’

It comes a year after Matt Staniek, a 26-year-old conservationist, raised the alarm over toxic algal blooms and vanishing wildlife at the ‘dying’ UNESCO-protected beauty spot in the Lake District.

He is now calling for Windermere to be granted protected scientific status, fresh investment from water firm United Utilities to tackle the dumping of sewage there, and more regulation to curb leaks in the catchment. 

Campaigners have warned the future of historic Lake Windermere remains bleak despite repeated calls to protect it. In 2022 wild water swimmers told MailOnline how they fell ill and had to take time off work after they took a dip in the storied lake’s waters.

Mr Staniek said birds such as dippers and kingfishers are disappearing from the river flowing into the head of the lake in the national park and World Heritage Site, while Atlantic salmon and other fish are also in decline. 

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