A HOMEOWNER who chopped down protected trees on his property has been fined nearly £6,000.

Muzaffar Hussain, 45, of Grattons Drive, Pound Hill, chopped the five Leyland Cypress trees despite warnings from the council it was against the law.

The destruction only stopped because a neighbour intervened to tell the tree surgeon the trees were protected, a Crawley Borough Council spokesman said.

At Chichester Magistrates’ Court last week Hussain was convicted of causing the destruction of five protected Leyland Cypress trees.

He had denied the charge but was fined £2,500, with a victim surcharge of £120 and costs of £3,325.

The court heard that Hussain hired a tree surgeon three days after being served with a Tree Preservation Order, falsely telling the worker that the works could go ahead.

The trees felled accounted for about one-quarter of the Leyland Cypresses on the property. It is expected he will be ordered to replace the trees.

Councillor Peter Smith, cabinet member for planning and economic development, said: “Crawley takes seriously its responsibility to preserve the amenity value provided by trees and will take action against people who wilfully flout the law.

“We also have the power to require the offender to replace the trees that he has destroyed and a notice to this effect is in the process of being prepared.”