A total of 22 trees have been felled in Stevenage "to proactively protect property", the borough council has confirmed.

The Lombardy poplar trees were near Stevenage Golf and Conference Centre in Aston Lane and a residential area. 

A spokesperson for Stevenage Borough Council said: "All these trees had reached their maturity, and in recent years we had lost a number of them, including one which fell into the garden of two nearby properties, narrowly missing the buildings.

"Lombardy poplar trees are usually tall, but short lived, and these trees had reached their life expectancy of between 40 to 50 years.

"In order to proactively protect property, the decision was made to remove all 22 Lombardy poplars and replace them with new trees at this location. The new trees will be planted in November, during the planting season.

"These works were approved by the Forestry Commission."