Chainsaw massacre is ‘council vandalism’ (From South Wales Guardian)

Chainsaw massacre is ‘council vandalism’

10:18am Wednesday 17th May 2006 in News

THE LLANDYBIE chainsaw massacre has sent shivers down the spine of a 54-year-old grandmother.

Smallholder Pat Langford claims Carmarthenshire Council is guilty of "horrific vandalism" after workmen: l Hacked a hole in her garden hedge; l Built a new stile for public access where there is no footpath; l And bulldozed a track through protected woods beside her home.

"The council is running out of control," said Mrs Langford, of Ffynnon Gollen, Pentregwenlais. "It looks as if there's no-one in charge any more.

"They seem to be making the rules up as they go along. How can they justify cutting a swathe through ancient woodlands, which belong to me, with no consultation whatsoever?

"They say they're opening up footpaths which haven't been used for 50 years or more. But the routes they've picked don't even match their own maps."

Mrs Langford returned from holiday to find that the council had smashed their way through her garden hedge and built a new stile.

“The work was carried out illegally and with no sensitivity whatsoever,”

Pat Langford

Then, the following week, workmen with a JCB and power tools hacked a track 150 metres long and eight feet wide through woods she has been preserving for 30 years "The work was carried out illegally and with no sensitivity whatsoever," Mrs Langford told the Guardian.

"They cut down and uprooted dozens of trees, and bulldozed their way through old stone walls built in the 19th century.

"To cap it all, they carried out the work during the bird-nesting season and on land that enjoys the highest protection available.

"My farm is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a European Special Area of Conservation."

Mrs Langford accepts that she has a public footpath through her yard, but says the stile built in her garden hedge is nowhere near the designated route.

"The council has told me I can take a chainsaw to the stile," she said. "That has already been done.

"But what a huge waste of money the whole process has been when there are so many other things in our community that need to be done."

County councillor Rhys Davies insisted that Mrs Langford should have been consulted.

He said: "It does appear that there has been a lack of consultation between the local authority and the landowner concerned regarding the upgrading of the footpaths.

"This is unfortunate as many of the footpaths have not been used for a considerable amount of time.

"It is important to take the views of landowners on board."

Carmarthenshire Council's rights of way and access Manager Bruce Wallace said: "We are now aware of the issue of SSSI status and are liaising with the Countryside Council for Wales in respect of the works we have undertaken and the ongoing works."