Safety work 'devastates' habitats

The embankment shows recently-cut vegetation near the rail line

Wildlife habitats along a railway line near Abergavenny have been devastated by maintenance work, a resident claims.

Jackie Jones said undergrowth, bushes and trees had been destroyed along the line next to where she lives at Llanvihangel Crucorney.

But Network Rail said the safety of passengers was its prime concern and the work was necessary.

The company added that it consulted environmental specialists before carrying out this type of work.

Ms Jones, who is a member of environmental lobby group Operation Noah, said: "I'm so upset about these embankments.

"Everything is gone. Every bush, every tree, every bit of undergrowth, every blade of grass almost.

"Who knows what's happened to the wildlife."

Ms Jones, who lives in the former station master's house, said that she understood the safety concerns but believed that Network Rail had gone too far.

"What I'm saying is that they could've done it more sensitively because they've taken the lot.

"They could've left some of the trees furthest away from the railway lines.

"If they had dealt with it more sensitively, everybody would have been happy."

She claimed that birds - long-tailed tits - had been nesting in a gorse bush at the site.

Network Rail, which maintains rail infrastructure, said as well as consulting environmental experts, the company also carried out ecology surveys at Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

A spokesperson said: "We had performed the vegetation clearance in select areas between Newport and Hereford, which includes the location at Llanvihangel Crucorney.

"This is carried out after stringent assessment and as part of a wider national programme to relieve potential safety risk that trees and vegetation posed to the railway.

"Trees and plants can cover up signals, fall on to the tracks and overhead power lines and prevent workers from getting to places of safety when trains are passing."

She said a birds nest survey was carried out at Llanvihangel Crucorney, as was a "full ecology survey" because it was a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

"Upon the feedback given by some residents, we re-assessed and kept vegetation in some locations, which include the vicinity around Mrs Jones's property," she added.