A BRANKSOME woman says it is ‘laughable’ that Borough of Poole has now admitted it cut down the tree in her garden.

Adele Copeman-King, 53, was left mystified after an 80ft Cypress Pine, believed to be more than 100 years old, was cut down in September outside her home in Wilderton Road.

Following her appearance in the Daily Echo on Saturday, Poole council has since called Adele to confirm they were responsible, despite the tree being covered by a legally enforceable area tree protection order.

She said: “I thought it had been stolen after the council said it couldn’t work out how it had happened. I was worried more of the trees would start disappearing.”

Barry Sparkes, street scene manager for Borough of Poole, said: “We made the decision to ask our contractors to cut down this tree as it was dead and overhanging the highway. The council has a legal authority to remove dangerous trees. While we must apologise to Adele Copeman-King for not informing her, we hope she understands our decision.”