SIR: What a disgrace that in excess of 40 mature protected trees have been axed courtesy of Bolton Planning Department (BEN, April 8).

"The firm has paid the council £12,500 as a condition of planning permission to help finance tree planting schemes in other parts of Bolton sounds like a "sweetener" to me.

If the said chopped trees could not be saved (and here I am reminded that "He who pays the piper calls the tune") I ask the questions why were they allowed to deteriorate to this state and why are they not replaced as near in situ as possible? Had they become 'inconvenient' in the face of business?

O M Kenyon

Laburnum Park

Bradshaw.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.