A mother-of-two has vowed to tie herself to a tree to stop it being chopped down.

Going Swampy - Sarah White prepares to handcuff herself to a tree due to be felled to male way for a park-and-ride scheme. Picture: NICK OBANK 41043-3

Sarah White, 24, is furious that Essex County Council is felling trees to make way for a bus lane as part of the new park-and-ride development at Sandon, near Chelmsford.

The chainsaws move in on Monday but Miss White, of Baddow Road, said they will have to move her first.

"The trees are there for the animals that live in them and for the residents to enjoy. My children watch the birds in the trees from my bedroom window they will be heartbroken.

However, county councillor Rodney Bass, cabinet member for highways, described the protest as "completely preposterous".

"It's an absurd proposition because the creation of the park-and-ride scheme forms part of a sustainable transport scheme," he said.

Published Friday, February 18, 2005

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