FEARS that scores of trees are being needlessly felled in a Halesowen park because they had lost some branches during the recent storms have been dispelled.

Huntingtree Park visitors were shocked to see the huge fir trees being chopped down this week.

Sarah Barnsley posted on the News Facebook page: “A friend has just been through Huntingtree Park in Halesowen and has been told they are chopping down all 120 trees around the green because some bits fell during the winds we had.

“She and I are very sad and shocked that this is happening. Do all of them really need to go and will any be replanted? “

But friends of the park committee member Jane Matthews said the trees had been earmarked for the axe before the recent bad weather because they were damaging the bowling green grass.

She was unsure of the exact number, but said the leylandii had become unmanageable because of their huge height and were blotting out the sun from the bowling green which meant the grass could not dry.

“They just got too high. The bowling green is used a lot and the sun couldn’t get through to dry the grass which was causing problems,” added Mrs Matthews.

The trees will be replaced with shrubs.