Protester interview Trelawney trees

A Stop The Chop campaigner is interviewed at the scene

Transcript

00:00So Deb, you've been at the heart of this campaign to Save the Trees for the past year.

00:07What's your feeling now, they're coming down behind you as we speak?

00:13I feel absolutely sick to the stomach at the moment.

00:17I can't believe that Cornwall Council have behaved in the way that they have for the past year.

00:24You were at the meeting on Wednesday when Phil Mason was explaining to a room full of people

00:30that Cornwall Council had made mistakes, that they hadn't followed the guidance on the duty to consult

00:37and that they were still maintaining that what they were doing was lawful

00:42and absolutely what has happened here today is unlawful.

00:46Our barrister, Philip Housman, has written guidance saying that it's unlawful.

00:52That's been backed up by a senior KC and a solicitor and yet here we are with the trees just nearly down.

01:04And tell me, there was an incident at seven this morning when you were on the scene over there

01:09and the police moved you and they dropped you.

01:14Yeah, I'd like to say that I'm probably not being as coherent as I normally would be.

01:20It's really quite hard to focus at the moment and try to find my words because my head is hurting.

01:28I can't really remember what happened but one minute I was okay and the next I was on the ground and my head really really hurt.

01:38I think it felt like there was a crack and a bump and yeah it wasn't nice.

01:44So what's the next step then because obviously the Stop the Chop campaigners and other residents aren't going to rest with this.

01:56It's certainly not over. There is a case that is going to continue going on with Cornwall Council.

02:05As said, this was an unlawful act here today and myself and the rest of the campaign group will be following up

02:14and Cornwall Council had better watch their backs because heads are going to roll.