COUNCIL workmen have taken down nearly a dozen trees encircling an old curling pond at a popular walking spot.

The trees were felled last week after a large area of brambles and high grass was cleared to allow workers access to some of them.

However some residents were concerned after the large branches and sections of trunk were then piled up and left to rot at the side of the old pond, at Lang Cram.

One resident told The Courier: "Some of the trees have fallen into the pond, which is a wildlife haven, and just been left where they fell.

"Some of them don't look anywhere near rotten. It seems an odd thing to do out of the blue at this site, after ignoring it for so many years."

East Lothian Council said the clearance was part of an ongoing programme.

A spokesperson said: "We have been clearing dead trees from this area as part on our ongoing tree maintenance and safety programme.

"The resultant timber is so decayed that our best option was to stack it neatly around the site and allow it to breakdown naturally, providing additional wildlife habitat."