Workers sawed through the roots of two old beech trees which had been standing outside a cottage in Pebble Lane for more than a 100 years.

General Contractors Limited, based in Market Place, Brackley, decided to build a new access road to the cottage and sawed through the roots.

The trees, protected by a preservation order, may now have to be chopped down.

The firm admitted damaging the trees and was fined �1,300 for the most severely affected tree and �600 for the other.