There has been an outcry from residents after a developer felled a large number of trees along a busy footpath.

An estimated 150 trees have been chopped down on a strip of land next to a path between Allington and Maidstone Hospital.

Croudace Homes owns the land and three weeks ago put up a notice to say the footpath – which links Howard Drive with the hospital car park – was being temporarily closed while coppicing work was undertaken.

It was reopened this week but residents were distraught by what they found.

Angela Poletti is chairman of the New Allington Action Group. She said: "This public right of way is heavily used by people going to the hospital, by school children and by dog walkers.

"Judging by comments on social media they have been universally appalled by what they've seen.

"The trees have not been coppiced – they have been felled! It looks absolutely awful!"

The trees were largely sweet chestnuts.

Mrs Poletti said: "Coppicing as expected would have been acceptable, but this is just destruction.

"This area of wood is a bat foraging area. It provided nesting for woodpeckers and other birds and habitat for squirrels – now all gone."

James Willis, co-ordinator of the MERLin campaign, which seeks to ensure that green corridors are left for wildife, was equally upset.

He said: "It does look bad. What this proves is that there is an urgent need for Maidstone council and other local authorities to get together to carry out a comprehensive ecological review of the whole area to ensure important green spaces are properly protected."

Andrew Johnson, a spokesman for Croudace, which has been building its Hermitage Park development, said: "Croudace Homes is currently carrying out coppicing and tree management works to the woodland adjacent to Phase 3 of our development.

"This is required to ensure safety of the users of the footpath through the woodland and to alleviate concerns from local residents with regards to encroachment over boundaries and excessive shading of the gardens of residential properties to the east of the woodland.

"The work is being carried out in accordance with a TPO application which has been approved by Maidstone Borough Council."