WALKERS fear South Park could turn into a ‘petrified forest’ because of a council policy of chopping diseased trees down into 20ft high stumps.

An outbreak of honey fungus has resulted in at least six huge trees being cut down to size in January according to Friends of South Park (FoSP).

Dorothy Burgess, of Armitt Street, who walks in the park every day, said: "I wouldn’t mind if they took the whole tree but they are leaving these towering monstrosities – it is beginning to look like a petrified forest."

Sally Burgess, FoSP chairman, said one 50ft tall beech tree that had been part-felled was about 180 years old.

"We have had six big trees chopped down this year – somebody looks at them and deems they are diseased and that seems to be it," she said.

Sally, 38, of Bridge Street, Macclesfield, who is also a pet food market trader in Chelford, added: "The council has said somebody sometime might come along and carve them."

She said several trees were also dead now because of the damage caused by dogs being trained for fighting – as reported in the Express in December.

Cheshire East Council said the disease was first discovered 18 months ago.

A CEC spokeswoman said: "Numerous surveys of the trees in South Park have since taken place both independently and within Cheshire East Council.

"On advice, they have been cut into monoliths as environmental and ecological research proves that these will provide a valuable and natural habitat for local wildlife. Bats and owls have already been spotted roosting in the trees."

They were constantly monitoring the disease and had plans to improve the appearance of those already chopped down, she said.

Honey fungus is a parasitic fungus also known as ‘white rot’ root disease which affects trees and shrubs and grows on living trees and dead and decaying woody material.

It spreads from living trees, dead and live roots and stumps by means of reddish-brown to black root-like ‘bootlaces’.