PLANS to fell a 200-year-old yew tree has sparked outrage.

Residents in Cleasby, near Darlington, are furious that work has already started to pull down the tree, without any consultation.

The custodians of the village hall authorised a worker to start felling the yew on Monday but he had to stop following an angry confrontation with villagers.

They contacted Richmondshire District Council to voice their concerns about the tree, which is in the grounds of the village hall car park.

The district council issued an emergency preservation order on the yew because of the weight of feeling in the village.

A spokeswoman for the district council said: "The tree did not have an order on it - it was not in a conservation order and was not protected.

"The yew was causing problems and the village hall committee wanted to remove it.

"However, a lot of people got very upset about it and rang us. Our first thought was that the parish council had agreed to the works but it transpired that they had not, and the village hall committee had not let people know what they wanted to do."

People concerned about the issue have 28 days to write to the council. The village hall custodians will also put their case forward outlining why the tree needs to be felled, and the district council will make a decision on its future.

Resident Howard Potts said villagers were upset because there had been no consultation.

"There is hell on in the village about this. We were angry they were cutting down a 200-year-old tree without consulting us, he said.

The village hall association said it did not want to comment.