AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after around 200 trees were illegally felled.

Officers from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) are investigating what they have called the "serious case" after the remains of the veteran hedgerow beech trees were discovered in the Blackwood area.

NRW regulatory woodland officer Jim Hepburn, Regulatory Woodland Officer, said: “This is a devastating case which will have a terrible impact on the local environment and no doubt be very upsetting for local people.

"These trees would have been around 150 – 200 years old and would have provided valuable habitat for wildlife. We continue to investigate how this felling has happened, and will take the necessary action against those responsible."

A NRW spokesman added: “We do have several leads we are investigating but are not willing to disclose any information about them at this time.

"It was brought to our attention on Thursday (January 19)  but we believe some of the 200 trees may have been chopped down during the Christmas period.”

This quantity of trees would have required a licence for felling from NRW, but an investigation has found that no such licence had been sanctioned.

The NRW website states that felling licenses are issued to protect the forests and woodlands of Wales and to prevent indiscriminate felling.

A license is not needed to fell trees in a garden, an orchard, a churchyard or a designated open space or if the tree is below a certain size.