A TAVISTOCK teenager has sparked a move to get trees replaced — which were felled to make way for a cycle path.

The trees — above Exeter Road — were cut between Tavistock viaduct and the old railway bridge in Old Exeter Road.

As a result of Lauren Cooke's concern a petition is now being organised.

Lauren, 13, told the Times: 'Cutting the trees was horrible. I looked out of the window and they were gone.

'Since I moved to Tavistock six years ago I have been climbing the trees up there, but now, presumably to clear the view, we have lost that privilege.'

Lauren said she thought the cycle path was a good idea but not at the expense of the trees.

'I think the only way to make it better again is to do some re-planting,' said Lauren.

Annie Cooke, Lauren's mother, said: 'It's just ridiculous to build a cycle way and chop down trees when they are both "green" issues.'

She was worried a retaining wall between the new path and back gardens below was now easy to access by children — the sheer drop she described as 'horrifying'.

Ms Cooke was also concerned it affected security for residents who have had their back gardens 'de-nuded'.

She said she was 'totally positive' about the cycle track but said she had no notice the trees were to go.

'It was astounding to get up in the morning and suddenly see the council offices — we could never see them before.

'It's a shame because some of the kids used to play up there, it was a nice wild area.'

Resident Maggie Squire was 'shocked' at the 'rather drastic' work which had taken place.

'It does expose us to an extent we are not used to — it would have been nice to have had some information beforehand,' she said.

Suzi Allen, West Devon's principal landscape officer, took the decision to allow felling in consultation with county council contractors.

'There wasn't anything taken down without very serious consideration — no decision was taken lightly,' she said.

'They were either diseased, in the site of the path or could have been a danger — they had to go in the interests of safety.'

She said until laurel was cleared on the old railway track it was difficult to see what condition the trees were in and where they were in relation to the path.

She said laurel 'grows like mad' and would soon screen the path from the houses.

Mrs Allen said any objections should have been forwarded to the borough at the planning stage — she thought contractors had informed residents about the felling work.

Graham Cornish, project manager, said measures would be taken to prevent access to the wall. 'The engineer does know about it,' he said.

He said only large trees were felled for safety reasons, which actually benefited residents in the area.

'One large one weighed three tons which was leaning right down the slope,' he said.

The new path forms part of the Devon Coast to Coast route — the project is a partnership between West Devon Borough Council and the county council.

The £130,000 project is funded by the South West Regional Development Agency, the European Union and Sustrans.