A BERRY laden holly tree has been damaged by thieves who stripped it back in a Poole park in broad daylight.

The audacious thieves rolled up in a flatbed lorry to the Ashley Cross green and used a ladder to climb the mature 10metre tall tree and a chain-saw to strip the branches.

When confronted by Lucy Cooper, president of Poole Chamber of Trade and Commerce, the men claimed to be from the council.

“It’s environmental vandalism,” said Mike Fry, who saw what took place when the four men descended on Parkstone Park, which is part of a conservation area.

“They had high vis jackets and hats on and they looked the part,” he said.

“But they were just helping themselves.”

His suspicions were aroused by their method of working, the cavalier way they used the chainsaw – climbing the ladder with it running – cutting the tree from the top and leaving untidy boughs sticking out.

Borough of Poole was contacted about the incident which took place in the early afternoon of Friday November 29 at their park.

The lorry load of holly will have been destined for sale at a market or made into wreaths and sold at vast profit. But the loss of around 30 per cent of the best holly tree in the park has left it permanently scarred.

“If they get away with it they will be back next year,” he added.

Lucy Cooper said she realised that what they were doing was not right and reported it to the council. She added: “It’s not very festive on the green this year.”

Russ Fisher, senior arboricultural officer, Borough of Poole, said: “The removal of vast quantities of holly branches has left the tree permanently disfigured and unlikely to grow back to its previous state, impacting on the natural features in this popular park.

“We would encourage anyone who witnessed this incident to contact us on 01202 633316.”