RUMOURS that a tree in Rishton was cut down by the council following complaints from a resident have been quashed.

The tree, in The Turrets public garden, off Blackburn Road, was felled earlier this year after showing signs of internal decay, a council spokesman said.

“Two tree operatives visited the site and found a split in the larger of the two stumps, which allowed the tree to be physically moved three feet in either direction,” he said.