The ‘blitzing’ of trees and shrubs along rail lines in Dorchester has again been criticised by town councillors.

They say the Network Rail approach, to chop everything down, does nothing for wildlife or climate change.

Some councillors claim the railway embankments are recognised as ‘wildlife corridors’ in the Local Plan and should be maintained on a more regular basis, rather than decimated once in a decade.

The company say the approach is the most cost-effective and that within two years the cut area will have recovered. Network Rail say the cutting back is needed for the safe running of trains and point out that there have been tree falls, stopping services on the Weymouth to Poole line, in recent years.

“It’s an all or nothing approach instead of doing management continually.. they just cut it all down,” said Cllr Molly Rennie at an online town council meeting.

Planning committee chair Cllr Robin Potter said he understood the need for managing the trackside vegetation: “but regretfully, they’ve done a hatchet job on the whole thing.”

Cllr Susie Hosford described the approach as “slash and burn” which she claimed had decimated the whole section of the track from the point where the south line joins the Bristol line back to the south station: “there’s nowhere else now for wildlife to be…from a conservation view it’s a disaster,” she said.

The town council also complained about the amount of litter which was left on the embankment after the trees were cut down – but that has since been mostly cleared. Network Rail says that most of it comes from bridges and paths used by the public and is difficult to clear while trains are operating.

Further vegetation clearing work is planned in the early hours of this Sunday, June 7. Network Rail say they intend to work on both the south and the west lines between the stations and Dorchester Junction between just after midnight and 7.20am. A letter to residents near the tracks has apologised, in advance, for any disturbance.