English Nature has promised to look again at it management policy after complaints about the felling of oak trees on Castlemorton Common.

The 40-year-old trees are being cut down by Malvern Hill Conservators, in partnership with English Nature, to preserve the area's open grassland.

But the work has upset neighbour Reg Freeman, who is calling for a more flexible approach towards maintaing the common.

"It's so sad to see beautiful oak trees cut down like this and reduced to nothing but a pile of logs," he said.

Mr Freeman said he understood the need to preserve the open nature of the common but that the trees being felled were well spread out and a beautiful addition to the landscape.

"I'm sure many people would agree with me that it's wrong to cut down these lovely trees," he said. "They support a lot of wildlife themselves and people who visit the common like to see them."

Mr Freeman said he would like to see more young saplings being removed instead, to prevent the tree cover on the common increasing, but leaving alone the larger trees.

He also wondered whether the larger trees earmarked for felling could be marked, so local people who objected to the cutting down of a particular tree could make their feelings known.

The trees are in a Site of Special Scientific Interest and English Nature offered the Conservators guidance on "maximising the landscape and wildlife value of the common".

Less grazing over the last 30 to 50 years has led to scrub and trees replacing open grassland.

The felling is part of a programme of work to prevent this encroachment continuing without some form of intervention. It is intended to support important wildlife and ensure 90 per cent open land with 10 per cent scrub.

The Conservators' conservation officer David Whitehorne said it was a matter of thinning out trees and leaving the best specimens with more room.

However, Rob Williams, of English Nature, said that before they asked the Conservators to carry out further work, they would look at their management policy more carefully.

He said: "While we remain firmly of the view that intervention is essential, we will look carefully at our management plan and, where particular trees don't interfere with this, we'll try to leave them.

"It's good to be reminded that people value trees - they are a legitimate part of the common landscape."