NEIGHBOURS are angry a tall hedge near their homes has been drastically cut back.

Braintree Council has trimmed a 13ft-high hawthorn hedge surrounding the sports field near Stevens Road, Witham, to about 4ft and built a new fence alongside part of it.

Brian Litton, who lives in Alan Road, claimed it had ruined a wildlife habitat.

He said: “Our hedge has been decimated. It’s terrible.

“It has been cut down by the fencing people and has had no consideration shown at all.”

He added the new 7ft tall green steel fence made the sports field look “like the exercise yard of a prison.”

However, senior councillor Lady Newton said the hedge would quickly recover and mask the fence.

She added: “Work on this scale can often look quite drastic when first undertaken, but we are confident the fencing will soon soften into the landscape as areas green up and the hedgerow begins to grow in the spring.”

She said the old fence had become embedded in parts of the overgrown hedge, which had now been cut to a more manageable height.

Hawthorn would be replanted where some sections of the hedge had been completely removed to stop the spread of of ivy, she added, stressing planning rules had not been breached.

The new fence has been put up in response to complaints about motorcyclists riding over the sports field and people walking dogs or playing football there without permission.

Lady Newton added: “The council is spending £100,000 to protect this valuable asset for the people of Witham.

“This will ensure the area is no longer a focus for antisocial behaviour which had prompted complaints from local residents.

“As well as causing disturbance to residents, such anti-social behaviour frequently resulted in vandalism to sports pitches.

“This ultimately ruined the enjoyment of sport by the pupils of Maltings Academy and the players and spectators of the local youth and adult football clubs.”

Witham town councillor Steve Hicks said: “I don’t think the wildlife will be affected at this time of year. There is lots of room there for wildlife to use as refuge for this time of year.”