Warning over Peak District 'illegal tree work'
Residents living in the Peak District are being urged to contact the local authority before cutting down trees or face the risk of a £20,000 fine.
The warning from the Peak District National Park Authority has been prompted by an increased demand for fire wood due to rising energy prices.
Conservation officer Dave Frost said in recent months a number of people had carried out "illegal tree work".
The national park trees are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Dave Goodwin, another conservation officer from the Peak District Park Authority, said: "Sadly some important and attractive trees have been disfigured or completely lost, simply because people have failed to contact us before the work is done."
The officers have written to all parish councils in the national park, asking them for help in raising awareness with residents of the need to contact the tree conservation officers before any tree work is started.