Surrey man arrested after illegally felling dozens of trees | UK News

A man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after more than 30 trees were illegally felled in Surrey, police said.

Officers were first alerted to the damage last month after residents noticed a number of trees had been cut down in Elmbridge overnight.

Over the past month, more trees have been felled, some of which have been left across the road and have resulted in traffic disruptions in the area.

Surrey Police said they received a fantastic response from residents, which allowed investigators to identify a vehicle suspected of being linked to the damage.

A search of the vehicle and an address revealed several chainsaws and wood chips.

A 24-year-old man from Weybridge was later arrested and remains in custody.

Inspector Bert Dean, Elmbridge Borough Commander, said: “This is an encouraging development in this investigation. We continue to gather the evidence we have.

“Thanks again to the local community for their continued patience and support.”

Residents have formed a Facebook action group called the Elmbridge Tree Patrol to try to stop what they have described as “senseless vandalism.”

Memorial trees have also been cut down following incidents, leaving families devastated.

Resident Tony Callaghan told Sky News: “It doesn’t seem like anything more than mean. There doesn’t seem to be any other reason for it.”

He said the chain sawing had been going on for at least a month and that around 50 trees had been destroyed.

“One of the recent trees had a bouquet on it and was a memorial to someone’s mother – it’s really sad,” he said.

He said the first trees targeted were those that lined the Thames between Weybridge and Walton-on-Thames, as well as in the nearby town of Cobham.

There was a short time then when the feller seemed to have …