A man severely damaged a century-old lime tree on Rustic Avenue in Mitcham by cutting into its trunk; Merton Council says the tree must be removed. Neighbours expressed outrage and felt violated over the loss of a valued street tree and the long time a replacement will take to fill the void. A resident's daughter witnessed the attack on 6 August during a piano lesson, and the man admitted he acted spontaneously out of frustration about resin dripping on his car. Lime trees produce resin, and cutting the trunk blocks nutrient flow and can cause tree starvation. The council plans to plant 1,000 new trees this autumn and will ensure one is planted at this site. The community is tight-knit and often decorates the lime trees at Christmas.
"We care about our trees, so we felt really violated," said resident Resina Chowdhury. "Just to think someone has done this to a 100-year-old tree. Even if we get a replacement, it's going to take a long, long time for anything to fill the void."
Ms Chowdhury told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) her daughter witnessed the attack on 6 August. "She was doing a piano lesson with a neighbour at the time, and she saw the tree being cut with a chainsaw," she said. "I heard all this noise, and when my neighbour asked the man, he admitted that he had damaged the tree and that it was a spontaneous decision."
"We are planting 1,000 new trees this autumn, and we will make sure one of them is planted at this location."
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