A WAR of words has broken out after a row of trees was “trimmed” in Rayleigh, leaving residents furious.

Earlier this week residents reported hearing noise near to their homes before noticing a row of trees being cut back on Claremont Crescent in Rayleigh.

Residents claim they had been given no prior warning about the trimming of the trees, which they state will have a “detrimental impact”.

This isn’t the first time the trees along that stretch have been cut, after Sanctuary Housing “trimmed” the hedgerow back in 2021 without notice.

At the time, residents were also left furious, and received an apology from Sanctuary Housing, who stated “we should have informed residents about the work before it started”.

A war of words has now broken out after a repeat of the “trimming”.

One resident, who has repeatedly complained about issues, said: “It is the exact same as before, and this time more trees were cut.

“In a time when people are becoming more and more aware of the need to protect our environment, it is a shame to see such disregard for it.

“There will no doubt be a detrimental impact on wildlife with loss of habitation.

“The noise also began in the morning and lasted all the way through to late afternoon, with chainsaws going continuously.

“I am trying to recover from an operation, but the noise made sleeping impossible. With prior notice, I could have arranged a stay with family.”

Before being chopped in 2021, residents stated that the trees had been a prominent feature of the residential road for years and provided a habitat for birds and squirrels.

In response, Sanctuary Housing says that the hedgerow has to be trimmed to ensure the pathways around are unimpeded.

A spokesperson for Sanctuary said: “Work has been carried out to reduce the height and width of the hedgerow to ensure that pathways around Franklin Court are unimpeded and that its growth does not negatively impact on surrounding properties.

“While the work required did involve trimming back the vegetation, we continue to take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and have ensured that we have not reduced the size of the hedge any more than was needed.”