A HISTORIC woodland that was pulled down without permission earlier this year still has wood piled up on it whilst a council investigation continues.

On the weekend beginning April 10, an area was cleared of trees at Scoreys Copse in Horton Heath by the owner of the land.

The council said it had not given permission for this to take place, with some trees understood to have tree preservation orders on them meaning they can't be cut down without prior approval.

Despite this though, residents and councillors were left outraged when the trees were pulled down and piled up, before attempts were made to set them alight.

Now, months later, the pile of wood is still on the site and the Echo understands no work has taken place on the site whilst an investigation takes place.

An Eastleigh Borough Council spokesperson said on Thursday: “Our Enforcement, Environmental and Legal teams worked together to take swift action following the removal of mature trees at Scorey’s Copse earlier this year.

"A strong series of enforcement measures prevented further work on the site and required the reinstatement of land to its previous levels and the planting of replacement trees.

"The Council is carrying out an ongoing investigation into the alleged breach of the Tree Preservation Order and we are currently working on the next steps.”

In May, Eastleigh Borough Council put in place a Stop Notice on the site, meaning that no further engineering works could take place without consent from the planning authority.

As well as this, a tree replacement notice came into effect on June 4 , requesting that trees be planted on the site to replace what was cut down.

An appeal was later lodged against this action however with the landowner claiming they were unaware of any Preservation Order's on the site.

When asked about the situation, ward councillor for Horton Heath, Cllr Steven Broomfield said: “It’s still there and Eastleigh are pursuing a course of action to remedy the situation.”

It has not yet been said when the trees will be cleared and more replanted as the council continues its investigation.

The trees are understood to have been planted almost 100 years ago.