VILLAGERS are furious after a stretch of hedgerow has been removed from a beloved nature spot.

Work by the parish council to remove the hedge to the south side of Middleton St George’s popular Water Park started on Monday.

It has prompted an outcry from residents of the village, who say they were unaware of the extent of the work, which is understood to have cost about £22,000.

Middleton St George resident Bex Lombard-Earl said: “It looks like there has been some kind of tsunami. They’ve cut everything – everything is gone.

“The whole village is in shock.

“Something needs to be done to reinstate some kind of wildlife. It needs to be put right.”

One reader got in touch to say residents were struggling to understand why the hedges had been “butchered”, while another said people were up in arms about the "obliteration".

The matter has caused a storm on social media, with hundreds of comments made about the situation on a village Facebook page.

The work was carried out by Middleton St George Parish Council, which is now holding an extraordinary meeting on Monday to discuss the discuss the clearance and determine what action can be taken.

Council chairman Catherine Gilsenan said: “The parish council is aware of the high level of concern regarding recent clearance work undertaken at the Water Park, and therefore we have arranged a meeting for Monday 15th February at 6.30 pm to consider all matters raised and determine what action can be taken to address them.

“We are currently investigating the matter and gathering all information and facts together, including concerns passed to us from members of the public in written form via the clerk (which is the appropriate procedure – we cannot conduct parish council business on Facebook), in order to be able to examine everything fully at the meeting.”

A structural survey was carried out at the ponds, which are former reservoirs, in February 2019 to examine their structural stability in the light of the housing development in the next field, to the rear of High Stell.

That survey recommended the removal of “coarse vegetation”, including trees, saplings, bushes and brambles.

It is understood that Middleton St George Parish Council submitted a number of tree enquiry forms to Darlington Borough Council to ascertain whether any of the trees in the area of the Water Park were protected.

Darlington Borough Council says there are no preserved trees in the site and the parish council did not need consent to carry out work.

Darlington Borough Councillor Doris Jones, who represents Sadberge and Middleton St George, and is former parish councillor in the village, said: "It's hard to know why this has happened. I'm at a loss to understand why the whole hedgerow had to come out."

Describing the area as the village's "treasure", she added: "The work must have been intended for the best reasons but obviously something or someone has gone seriously wrong and it needs further investigation as to what."

"There needs to be lots of answers given to lots of questions from residents who at the end of the day own the water park, many are finding the quote to be eye watering at what appears to be a couple of days work for £22,700 plus."

The meeting takes place on Monday at 6.30pm via Zoom.