Celebrities campaign to save trees along river bank in Hammersmith
Actress Imogen Stubbs and designer Jasper Conran have joined a high profile campaign to are try and prevent the removal of trees on a five-mile stretch of the Thames running from Hammersmith to Putney.
Campaigners are concerned the removal of the trees on the stretch could damage wildlife.
But the Port of London Authority (PLA) is concerned roots from hundreds of trees may damage the bank's flood defences.
Charity Wildlife Aid said birds and animals could lose their nesting sites at the start of the breeding season.
The PLA has begun to cut down trees from the area which they fear compromise the bank's protective wall.
A PLA spokesman said: "It's our view that the only course of action is to remove these trees.
"It must be emphasised that the vast majority of the mature trees are on the landside of the towpath and will not be removed in this scheme as these do not damage the revetment significantly."
Wildlife Aid head vet nurse Sarah Cowan criticised the "drastic course of action".
"It is the beginning of the breeding season for all the birds and mammals that nest in the trees," she said.
"To carry out this work at this time of year is probably quite irresponsible and leaving a lot of the animals without their nesting sites
and having to move off."
Imogen Stubbs expressed her support for the campaign in an interview with the BBC.
"It destroys this area completely - it destroys the environment, the bird life, the animal life, the beauty for the millions of people who use it," Ms Stubbs said.
"And when it's done, it's done - there's no going back on cutting down a tree."
The PLA said it would carry out further consultations before any more work was done to the bank.
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