TREES on a store car park have been protected — after residents complained about the company's plans to chop them down.

Neighbours in Firwood Lane saved trees which border their houses after part of the row was cut down.

The trees, which belong to the Nisa shop behind the homes, were being felled by store owners as part of improvement works to the car park.

However, the border has now been put under an emergency tree protection order by Bolton Council after residents complained that the lack of trees would make the homes an easy target for thieves.

Support worker Joanne Holden, aged 46, said she returned from work to find the home she shares with her husband Shaun and 16-year-old daughter Courtney opened up to the store car park.

She said: "We are really happy about the protection order after everything that has happened.

"It just came out of the blue. We should have been told about it and now half the trees are gone before anyone could say anything.

"They were 30 feet high and now there's a big gap two and a half houses down.

"My daughter is in the back bedroom and feels like she has to shut the curtains all the time — she has even asked the change rooms so it's put a lot of pressure on her.

"We've lived here 13 years and were burgled before the trees came down so are worried about what will happen now. Some of the residents are in their 90s — they are distraught."

The Nisa store manger said they checked with the planning department to make sure the trees were not protected before the work started — and found there was no conditions preventing them from being felled.

Describing the trees as 'overgrown' they said the work was being carried out as part of improvements to the store car park.

A spokesman for the council said: "We were alerted by concerned residents that some trees had been removed on the edge of the Nisa store, which screened the adjacent houses.

"We spoke to the manager and advised him that whilst the trees were not protected, he should not remove any further trees at that time.

"We then placed an emergency tree protection order on the remaining trees to ensure that they are retained for the future."