 <div class="tpl-article__byline-date "> <span class="e-byline e-byline--multi" data-test="byline"> <span class="e-byline__meta" itemscope="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemprop="author"> <a href="/authors/e/eu-ez/ewan-somerville/" itemprop="url" class="e-byline__link" data-test="byline-link" rel="author"> <span class="e-byline__bytext">By</span> <span class="e-byline__author" data-test="author-name" itemprop="name" content="Ewan Somerville ">Ewan Somerville </span> </a> </span> </span> <time class="e-published-date u-meta " itemprop="datePublished" datetime="2023-03-22T14:49+0000" data-test="time"> 22 March 2023 • 2:49pm </time> </div> 

 <figure itemscope="true" data-test="article-body-image" itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" data-js="article-body-image" itemprop="image" class="article-body-image section"> <meta itemprop="url" content="/content/dam/news/2023/03/22/TELEMMGLPICT000329061685_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg"> <meta itemprop="width" content="2500"> <meta itemprop="height" content="1563"> <meta itemprop="representativeOfPage" content="true"> <div class="article-body-image__container"> <picture class="e-picture "> <source srcset="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2023/03/22/TELEMMGLPICT000329061685_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=1280" media="( min-width: 1600px )"> <source srcset="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2023/03/22/TELEMMGLPICT000329061685_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=960" media="( min-width: 1280px )"> <source srcset="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2023/03/22/TELEMMGLPICT000329061685_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=680" media="( min-width: 768px )"> <source srcset="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2023/03/22/TELEMMGLPICT000329061685_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=350&amp;imdensity=2" media="( min-width: 350px ) and ( -webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2 )"> <source srcset="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2023/03/22/TELEMMGLPICT000329061685_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=350" media="( min-width: 350px )"> <img src="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/news/2023/03/22/TELEMMGLPICT000329061685_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQf0Rf_Wk3V23H2268P_XkPxc.jpeg?imwidth=680" alt="The mature trees were chopped down at 1am" width="100%" height="auto"> </picture> </div> <figcaption class="e-caption u-meta e-caption--has-separator e-caption--hide-small-screens " data-js="caption"> <span itemprop="caption" data-test="caption"> The mature trees were chopped down at 1am </span> <span class="e-caption__credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder" data-test="credit"> <span class="e-caption__credit-description">Credit</span>: APEX </span> </figcaption> </figure> 

 <div class=" " itemprop="articleBody" data-js="article-body"> <div class="articleBodyText section"> <div class="component article-body-text " data-test="article-body-text"> <p>A council leader has quit after ordering 110 mature trees to be cut down in the middle of the night with security guards.</p><p>Cllr Richard Bingley said he was stepping down as the embattled leader of the Plymouth City Council and the Conservative group from Monday amid a major backlash over the "despicable" decision.</p><p><strong>This is a breaking news story and will be updated.</strong></p> </div>
</div> </div>  

Campaigners caught off guard by 'despicable' butchering in Plymouth

Council leader quits after 110 trees felled in middle of night

Loading...