OUTRAGED parish councillors have criticised a property developer for showing "a total lack of regard for local people".

Laing Homes, of Milton Keynes, has come under fire after destroying hedgerows and erecting a fence around fields in Hazlemere and Widmer End which have been used by residents for over 30 years.

Hazlemere Parish Council has written to Laing Homes insisting that the developers "do not carry out further operations on this land without consulting the wider public".

The land is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and was recently the subject of a public inquiry as residents pressed for footpaths across the fields to be officially recognised and village green status granted.

Wycombe district and Hazlemere parish councillor David Cox (Con, Hazlemere East) said: "Laing's have not taken into account that there are a whole range of footpaths there which have been used by local people for over 30 years.

"One feels they did this because they are a bit narked about what has been going on with people using the fields as footpaths."

Local resident Jen Fazackerley, of Marys Mead, Hazlemere, has walked her dogs on the field for the last 26 years.

She said: "I'm over on those fields every day. The dog walkers' main objection is that Laing's have caused more more vandalism in a week than we have caused in 30 years.

"The JCB they used has caused our footpaths such damage that we cannot use them."

A spokesman for Laing Homes said: "The site has been bought by Laing Homes with a view to future development.

"The fencing was erected by us in order to protect our land but it still permits local residents to use parts of that land because we fully recognise that a lot of people are still going out on walks."