A CAMPAIGNING barrister stepped in today to help pensioners save trees shielding one of the poorest communities in London from a busy dual carriageway.

Paul Powlesland had just returned from court when he spotted four elderly community garden volunteers protesting with tree surgeons in the Harts Lane estate in Barking, east London.

Speaking from the site, the founder of Lawyers for Nature told the Morning Star the works only stopped after he threatened to get a ladder and climb the trees they were felling.

Mr Powlesland, who had planted trees in the area over the winter, said: “It’s all been kicking off. I tried to stop them this morning, they said they would, I went to court and when I came back local residents, older ladies, were trying to stop them.

“They’ve been here all morning but because they are older they couldn’t actually get up, I was able to get up to a ladder and say ‘I’m going to climb this tree if you don’t stop.’

“These trees are the archetypal what I would term social justice trees — they block one of the poorest communities in Barking from seeing and hearing the North Circular.”

He explained the trees were on Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime’s (Mopac) land but towered over a public footpath in the estate, shielding it from noise and air pollution from the busy ring road.

Removing the trees would expose residents to the North Circular’s concrete flypast and an up to 70ft tall tree was felled in the area on Monday.

He added: “To me it’s absolutely flabbergasting that the Mopac would fell the trees down for seemingly no reason and make the lives of one of the poorest communities in London worse.

“These ladies have lived on the estate for decades and started a local community gardening club and and help us plant trees on this estate.

“The local residents were on the footpath and effectively with the branches hanging over them. 

“These are working-class pensioners who volunteer to make the place better.  It’s dangerous but it’s also just really disrespectful.”

His group, the River Roding Trust, has accused Barking and Dagenham Council of ignoring its application for a Tree Preservation Order on them, served nine months ago. 

Mopac and the council have been contacted for comment.