Retired Teacher Stages Two-Hour Tree Protest in Dorset Garden
In a dramatic act of environmental defiance, a retired teacher tied herself to a tree in her neighbour's garden for two-and-a-half hours in a desperate attempt to halt its planned removal. Lindy Rogers, 73, took direct action after spotting arborists arriving at Steve Evans' property in Bridport, Dorset, storming into his garden and using a length of rope to secure herself to the 50ft copper beech trunk.
Neighbourhood Dispute Over 70-Year-Old Tree
Mr Evans, a local parish councillor, had been seeking to remove the 70-year-old tree for the past year, citing concerns that it was damaging his £800,000 property. He specifically mentioned a crack appearing in his garage structure, which he attributed to the tree's growth. However, neighbours including Mrs Rogers argued that the felling was unnecessary, suggesting alternative remedial measures such as branch lopping and root trimming could have preserved the mature specimen.
'I was very fond of the beautiful tree and I wanted to save its life,' explained Mrs Rogers, who lives in a £950,000 home on the same private road. 'It's the sister tree of the one in our garden, planted at the same time more than 70 years ago. It complements our tree and the immediate environment.'
Impromptu Protest During Yoga Class Interruption
The protest unfolded unexpectedly when Mrs Rogers, preparing for her yoga class, noticed the arborists' arrival. 'I was all set to go to yoga but my husband saw the arborists arrive, so I changed my plans,' she recounted. 'I have a lovely purple skipping rope but it was not long enough so my husband brought me some rope instead.'
Despite five arborists being present on site, Mrs Rogers remained firmly attached to the tree throughout her two-and-a-half-hour stand. 'I think they wanted to physically remove me but realised they wouldn't be able to,' she observed. During the protest, Mr Evans called the police, though Mrs Rogers maintained this would be 'a terrible waste of police time' that didn't concern her.
Council Intervention Ends Standoff
The impasse was ultimately broken when an official from Dorset Council arrived to confirm the tree removal could proceed legally. At that point, Mrs Rogers reluctantly untied herself, allowing the arborists to begin their work. 'I tried to save it and I failed. We lost the battle, which is sad,' she lamented afterwards.
Mrs Rogers had previously applied for a Tree Protection Order to safeguard the copper beech, but her application was unsuccessful. She remained sceptical about the tree's alleged instability, noting: 'The tree has survived all the recent storms so it can't be that weak.'
Neighbour Support and Replacement Plans
Her stance found support among other residents. Neighbours Ali and David Cliff expressed their devastation, with Mrs Cliff stating: 'I'm absolutely devastated our neighbours would consider taking this tree down. It broke our hearts and action needs to be taken to protect the tree.'
Mr Evans expressed disappointment about the necessary removal but emphasised his commitment to replanting. 'The tree did not have a preservation order and it was unsafe and was damaging the garage,' he explained. 'It has nothing to do with our dislike of trees, in fact it's the opposite and we will be planting more to replace it. We had permission to remove it approved from the council.'
He also reported receiving unprecedented abuse from neighbours during the dispute, stating: 'The amount of abuse I have received from my neighbours is unprecedented. I have never been spoken to like that in my life.'
Police Response and Ongoing Enquiries
Dorset Police confirmed they were alerted to the incident at 9.30am on Monday regarding a woman trespassing and tying herself to a tree at an address off Broad Lane in Bridport. A police spokesperson noted: 'However, the situation was resolved and the woman left. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the incident.' The resolution occurred before officers could attend the scene.
The episode highlights growing tensions between property maintenance concerns and environmental preservation in residential areas, with mature trees becoming focal points for community disputes across Britain.
