FURIOUS residents have condemned council chiefs after plans to fell scores of trees in a popular Darlington park were revealed.

The first phase of a £3.9m scheme which aims to restore South Park to its former Victorian glory gets under way today.

Preparatory work involved a full ecological survey of the park and its habitat, looking in detail at its 1,200 trees, as well as plants and wildlife.

And, under the authorisation of English Heritage, workers will now begin felling 350 dead, dying or diseased trees in the park in an effort to restore the original sight-lines.

But the work has angered some residents, who are disgusted at the loss of so many trees.

One woman, who asked not to be named, said: "It is pretty disgusting when we have got lots of trees in the town which are diseased and dying just being left.

"The council seems to be very keen to knock down old buildings which have been here for many years and now it seems it is the same with the park."

Another resident said she wanted to form a protest group to prevent the work from going ahead.

Darlington Borough Council last night defended its position, saying the work will transform South Park into a major regional tourist attraction.

A spokesman said: "Any dead, diseased or dying trees which are not safe are being taken down.

"We have done a survey of all the trees and we are getting good, healthy trees in, which can only be good for the future of the park.

"We have always had to do this sort of thing right across the borough because trees only have a certain lifespan."

It is hoped that the restoration and development work will be completed by next summer.

Other features in the new-look park will be a sensory garden, a wildlife lake, and skateboard park for youngsters.

A park manager and park ranger will be appointed in the near future to manage the site.