And they moved quickly to protect what remains of the greenery at Coastguard Road.

The Department of the Environment enforced a provisional tree preservation order, rendering it unlawful to cut down the copse of around 60 ash, sycamore, privet and griselinian species which local people say affords shelter from the elements and helps to screen their homes from Port of Larne operations.

Coastguard Road man Ken McCluskey claimed the harbour authority's action in cutting down the trees last Tuesday amounted to "vandalism".

"I would call it vandalism to fell matures trees, some of them over 100 years old," he said.

"I've lived here 41 years and played in those trees when I was young. What are we going to leave for generations to come if we allow them to be cut down?

"The trees give us shelter from the wind and the rain and provide a screening from the warehouses and trailers around the harbour."

Mr McCluskey added, "We thought this had all been sorted out years ago, but when I was coming home from work I saw that some of the bigger trees had been felled. I don't know how many smaller ones were cut down because they've just been shredded."

He wasted no time in contacting the Port of Larne. "They told me they had cut them for health and safety reasons," said Mr McCluskey.

"There was no consultation with residents. If there had been I would have told them that NIE Powerteam made the trees safe by branching so that they don't interfere with the power lines. There's no need to fell them."

The Port of Larne declined to comment.

Mr McCluskey's next call was to Larne Borough Council's biodiversity officer Rose Muir, who immediately contacted the Planning Service in Ballymena. A survey of the area was undertaken and Planning Service determined that the trees should be protected.

"The last time the trees were being threatened the people here asked for them to be protected. We thought that he been done. At least now we know there is an order in force and nobody can touch them in the meantime," Mr McCluskey said.

Rose Muir added, "Tree preservation orders are designed to protect trees from being cut down unnecessarily. Trees provide habitat for wildlife, but they also add to the character to an area, improve air quality by trapping air-borne pollutants, reduce noise and release oxygen. They shouldn't be cut down needlessly."

She encouraged people to contact the council on 2827 2313 if they had any concerns about trees in their area.