A King’s Sutton man who unlawfully chopped down seven yew trees must pay £7,200 in fines and costs following a council prosecution.
Published: Wednesday, 4th February 2026
Graham Evans, aged 60, pleaded guilty to the offences at a hearing at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 30 January.
Cherwell District Council officers attended the scene on East End Lane in Adderbury when the felling was reported to them on Monday, 30 June 2025. The offender failed to attend an interview under caution and did not cooperate with the council’s investigation.
The trees were located in Adderbury Conservation Area on Oxfordshire County Council highway land and were of a size granting them legal protections.
Councillor Jean Conway, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Development Management, said: “The district’s trees are so important to biodiversity, our landscape heritage and to our resilience to climate change. When works do need to be carried out on trees, there is a proper and professional way to go about it, which we can assist with.
“In this instance, the offender not only failed to seek permission but refused to cooperate with our investigation. That’s why we sought a prosecution, and this is a pleasing result which I hope deters others from cutting down trees without permission.”
Conservation areas exist across the district to record places of special architectural and historical interest. People can apply to the council to lawfully undertake works on larger trees found in conservation areas. In this case, the offender had neither applied for, nor received the council’s consent.
Council arborists confirmed that, had permission been sought to cut down the yew trees, they would have refused and instead placed a Tree Preservation Order on them.
Anyone who has concerns about trees being unlawfully felled should report it using the council website.