A SCRAP metal millionaire who chopped down 11 protected trees to make the back garden of his £1.4m home bigger has been ordered to pay a record amount of compensation.

David Matthews, 67, hacked the 100-year-old trees down with a chainsaw at his address in Arrowsmith Road, Canford Magna.

Matthews had ‘full knowledge’ the trees, which included a mature oak, a beech and sweet chestnuts, were protected by a preservation order, yet ‘deliberately’ cut them down to illegally add an estimated £137,500 to the value of his five-bedroom house.

Yesterday, he was told he must pay back the full sum – plus an extra £32,000 in fines and court costs – for adding a “considerable advantage” to his property

A court heard the former director of a £2m scrap metal business chopped down the trees at his home, Flambards, in February last year.

The trees, on the east side of his land, were protected by a tree preservation order made by Poole Borough Council in 2001.

Matthews, former director of Reliance Scrap Metal Merchants Ltd, now run by his wife Rosalind, admitted wilful destruction of protected trees.

Southampton Crown Court heard he has previously been given a warning by Poole Borough Council after he breached a tree preservation order in 2015.

Matthews claimed he chopped down the trees over fears falling branches would hurt his grandchildren. However, Judge Jane Rowley said there was “overwhelming evidence” the house’s value had increased by their removal.

“Significant improvements were acknowledged by all experts which would have decidedly led to an increase in the value of the property,” the judge said.

“I find it wholly inconceivable the value would have remained unchanged after these improvements had been made. There is overwhelming evidence of the increase in value.”

Prosecutor Tom Horder said: “This was a deliberate act carried out with full knowledge of the preservation order.”

Matthews, who owns a further two properties, said he cut the trees down because he was “impatient”.

Mitigating, Kevin Hill said: “Matthews said in his interview that he knew it was wrong to cut down the trees but he’d been impatient, he was an impatient man.

“He cut down the trees because he was worried about branches falling on an area where the grandchildren regularly play.”

Father-of-two Matthews was ordered to pay £137,500 to cover the proceeds of crime, a £12,000 fine for cutting down the trees, £20,000 costs and a victim surcharge of £170 - totalling £169,670.