A PETITION has been set up by angry residents after developers wrongly ripped up protected hedgerow.

Colchester Council is making sure the hedgerow in Salary Brook, Colchester, is fully replaced.

A total of 170 metres of the hedge, which was on council-owned land and housed species such as dormice, was ripped up by developer Osborne.

The developer is carrying out work related to building new student accommodation in the area.

A petition has been set up by Shaun Boughton to have the beauty spot returned to its natural state.

The online petition said: “This hedgerow was a habitat for a legally protected species, the dormouse, and water vole.

“The developer has also removed an earth bund which the hedge was planted on. None of this action was taken with the prior knowledge or approval of the council.

“We would like answers as to why this work was carried out and who sanctioned the work, and what they hope to a achieve by doing this.

“We want the area returned to its original state, to have the hedgerow replanted and a long term management plan drawn up to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

The petition has more than 1,000 signatures.

Mr Boughton said: “I feel saddened this has occurred in clear view on a major route into Colchester.

“They destroyed it all in less than a month and still we have no answers.

“It will take a very long time to repair this if it can be repaired. The wildlife may never come back, and for what? Yet more student accommodation.

“There are many questions that need answering.”

The council is putting further legal protection in place to help prevent this happening again.

Police are also involved in the investigation and the developer has admitted fault.

A spokesman for Osborne, the developer, said: “We are investigating the allegations that have been made by Colchester Borough Council in relation to their land.

“As such it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this time or indeed until the facts related to the allegation have been properly collated and concluded.”

The petition can be viewed by searching Salary Brook on change.org.