The last pieces of an oak tree that had stood for 600 years have been felled, watched by campaigners who battled to save it.

Peterborough City Council cut down the tree in Ringwood, Bretton, because it was causing "structural damage" to nearby homes.

The work began on Wednesday after an injunction by protesters was dismissed.

"The tree has been part of my life; the heart of community has been taken away," said resident Fionna Adcock.

"It's still alive - they're killing a living thing, it's absolutely dreadful."

Campaigners say the tree - which appears on the Woodland Trust Ancient Tree Register - is one of the last standing oaks from the original Grimeshaw Woods and dates from the 14th Century.

An eleventh-hour injunction, heard at Peterborough County Court, was dismissed.

The city council was approached for comment but had previously said any attempt to save the tree would have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds.

A spokesman said a range of alternative options had been looked at, including root barriers and extensive pruning, but they "were not accepted by the insurance company as a feasible solution".

The council also said 100 young oak trees would be planted across the city this autumn and winter, in a bid to "mitigate" the environmental impact.

Kirsty Knight, a Green councillor in a neighbouring ward, said she believed any investigations were not thorough enough.

Speaking over the roar of a chainsaw, she said: "I'm absolutely devastated - it's just so sad.

"I was here yesterday morning and the tree was beautiful, and now look at it.

"This tree is two that have grown into one, and there is the wildlife, and we can't be chopping down trees willy-nilly."

She said residents - many of whom were keen to collect a souvenir of the tree - should be given a say on what is done with the timber.

Sarah Dodd, a solicitor acing on behalf of the campaigners, said there were "gaps in the evidence" that the oak tree was having an impact on a property, particularly after an oak in the garden was removed.

"It was the conclusion reached by their own [council's] expert that there was insufficient evidence linking the Bretton oak to the alleged damage, and no reason to be concerned that the oak posed a risk of causing damage in the future to other properties," she said.

"It is everyone's conclusion here, other than the council, that the tree could have been left alone.

"It's devastating that an ancient Oak tree has been removed for no good reason."

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