A Hatfield homeowner has been left devastated by what she describes as the "massacre" of dozens of tall, mature trees which provided a barrier between her property and a high-speed railway.
Julia Jacobs lives at the end of Peplins Way in Brookmans Park, roughly 25 metres from the Great Northern train line into London, but this has never been a huge problem thanks to a huge dense barrier of very tall trees which helped block out the noise and air pollution.
But over the past few weeks contractors tasked by National Rail felled trees on a 30 metre stretch covering the entirety of their plot, leaving her home exposed to the sound of high-speed trains hurtling past at all hours of the day.
Julia said: "The scale of the operation was shocking and an act of environmental vandalism. Total mass destruction - they have obliterated every tree on their land and then came back and removed all the vegetation from the trees on mine.
"It's heartbreaking and I can't even bear to look outside my window now.
"Network Rail's response is always the same: that there are safety reasons trees have to be felled, including trees falling onto the track due to age, disease or windy weather, and trees that reduce visibility and cover up signals.
"However, the removal of all leaf-fall trees that can affect the track is a new initiative designed to save the company time and money."
Sarah Reid, east coast route director for Network Rail, said: “We’ve removed some trees from the railway near Brookmans Park to keep it safe and clear for trains.
"Large trees have the potential to blow onto the tracks during storms, obscure signals, or shed their leaves in autumn, making it harder for trains to brake effectively. So we need to cut them back to keep trains moving safely and reliably.
“We wrote to residents in April to explain our work and timescales, and we also held an online community event. We are keen to listen to residents' views, so I’d encourage anyone with questions or concerns to reach out to our 24/7 helpline on 03457 11 41 41.
“We are sorry if this work has caused upset, but we do need to prioritise the safety of all those who travel on trains.”
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