SEVEN riverside trees in Bewdley could pose a "serious risk" if urgent maintenance work is not carried out, the Environment Agency claims.
The agency, which was at the centre of a storm when it chopped down three trees alongside the River Severn in October, has applied for permission to carry out more work outside Bridge House.
A spokeswoman for Wyre Forest District Council's planning department told members of Bewdley Town Council the agency did not need permission to remove trees if they posed a danger to the public.
After work was carried out in October the council's tree adviser had been unable to say whether it had been urgently required - and as a result the "onus of proof" had since fallen on the Environment Agency.
Agency operations officer Michael Weaver said in a report to the town council: "The trees in question are in need of urgent maintenance. Two fell into the river during the summer months - even at low flow situations it is very difficult and dangerous for our men to remove them from the bridge."
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