Hundreds of island trees felled

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Hundreds of trees have been cut and removed from an island in County Down, by the environment service.

Only piles of logs remain of the hundreds of conifers that dotted Hare Island, a spit of land between Downpatrick and Killyleagh.

Eddie Rea of Strangford Lough Mangement commitee said the tree felling was an "environmental disaster".

"Absolute devastation by Environment Heritage Service, I just can't believe what has happened," he said.

The woods on Hare Island had been home to long-eared owls and other birds, but the Environment and Heritage Service said getting rid of the conifers will help the environment in the long-run.

Dr Sean Darcy-Burt of the Environment and Heritage said they had to go.

"The important thing to remember here is that a lot of the trees we've removed are wind-blown trees - these are trees that have come down in the last two winters and have been systematically cleared," he said.

"Really looking at health and safety is our top priority."

Ulster Unionist South Down assembly member John McCallister called on the incoming environment minister Arlene Foster to investigate the tree felling.

He said what happened on the island underlines the need to establish an environmental protection agency.