THE pruning of a "picturesque" area of Windermere on behalf of South Lakeland District Council has prompted disappointed responses from local councillors.

Town councillor Helen Jones said that the cutting back of rhododendron bushes on Ellerthwaite Gardens by sub-contractors Continental Landscapes was "completely unnecessary".

"I was dismayed to see that they have been cut right back to their root stalks, leaving small stumps, and it is unlikely that they will recover," she said.

"It was a particularly picturesque area that looked lovely and it also smelled beautiful as the flowers are very perfumed. I understand that they had to be cut but it could have been done without cutting them back so much."

Coun Frank Sanderson said that the bushes had very important architectural and botanical significance to the area.

"Around 100 years ago, the people who descended upon the Lake District and built these lovely homes you see planted these flowers. A lot of them are very rare and very beautiful and it is a shame to see them cut back too much. They are slow growing and very shallow rooted and do not stand a lot of pruning so they do not like being cut back so close to the root stock," he said.

However, South Lakeland District Council parks and contracts officer Tony Naylor said that the plants had been pruned to stop anti-social behaviour and because they were overgrown.

"It is a severe trim I know, but there are some anti-social behavioural problems with the area as children have been hiding behind them. They needed cutting and getting back under control so there are not as many hiding places, allowing security to be improved and fear of crime to be reduced," he said.