FAMILIES in Oxford have lost their battle to save 12 willow trees.

Earlier this month, residents of Osney Island, West Oxford, staged a musical protest against plans to fell the trees, which line the River Thames in East Street.

But officials in the city council parks department insisted the trees were rotten and needed to come down for safety reasons.

Despite 11th-hour calls for a stay of execution to allow further examination, about 30 residents gathered in the street to see six contractors start felling the trees with chainsaws shortly before noon yesterday. The work is expected to last three days.

Susanna Pressel, Labour city councillor for Jericho and Osney, said she and residents tried every possible measure to prevent the trees from being felled.

She had threatened to tie herself a tree but there were no physical protests once council staff arrived on site with chainsaws and a forklift truck and hoist.

Ms Pressel said: "About 60 residents met Liberal Democrat city councillor Alan Armitage on Sunday night to urge him to see to consider an alternative but he was adamant that the trees must come down for safety reasons.

"We wanted the trees to be pollarded to a height of nine feet, and then a band could have been placed round them to prevent them from falling over."

John Wade, manager of the city council's parks department, said the council had taken all the correct measures "from a planning point of view", including checks to ensure that the trees did not contain any bats.

He added that the trees were being felled for safety reasons because there were clearly rotten.

Mr Wade said: "Public safety is of foremost importance. Six staff will be working to fell the trees over the next three days."