A MAN who chopped down around £80,000 worth of protected trees has made up for his mistake by dedicating the land to school children.

Philip Knowles, 49 from Bridge Hill in Epping was fined £5,600 at Harlow Magistrates Court for cutting down 13 trees on land adjacent to Ivy Chimney's Road, Epping.

But when the father of two realised his mistake, he worked hard to rectify the situation and has spent more than £3,000 of his own money to replace the fallen trees.

He said: "I bought the land to put a couple of horses on but I didn't do a proper land search and there was a tree preservation order on the woodland. It wasn't identified in anything I had but I put my hands up, I cut them down.

“When I spoke to the district council I asked how can I put this right, and they told me it would be very difficult, so I thought I would do something positive for the community."

The company director approached staff at Ivy Chimneys Primary school in Epping and asked if they would like to use the woodland area for the children.

Pupils then helped Mr Knowles plant 100 saplings and scatter seeds to create a meadow.

Mr Knowles said: "I wanted to correct what I had done wrong. Now I'm thinking about using the area to create a riding school for kids, or put some animals there for them to visit. We are planning to put some bat boxes in and I really hope the children can use my land for something positive."

Despite his efforts to rectify the mistake, Mr Knowles was still fined £400 for each tree he had cut down, which included sycamore, ash, oak and field maple.

He was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of nearly £300 to Epping Forest District Council. Mr Knowles said: "The fine was a bit harsh but I did expect it. I think the council should have done more to mark out the woodland area rather than fine me after I had already chopped down the trees. But I have to move forward now and at least the kids are getting something out of it."

Headteacher of Ivy Chimneys primary school Denise Drew said: "The children had a really enjoyable afternoon helping to plant the trees and we look forward to visiting the area again."