IT was gracious of Cllr J Reilly to make an exception in writing to present readers with the facts regarding a road engineering project at Irlam Road, Flixton.

His comment was that he couldn't see what all the fuss was about - we had more trees than Sherwood Forest and I was obviously the sort of person unwilling to listen and see sense.

The facts are that on April 27 this year, Paul Simmons, one of the residents adjacent to the project, and all those opposed to it, wrote to Cllr J Ackerley at the Mayor's Office, Trafford Town Hall.

This four page, well-researched explanation of problems surrounding the proposals to install an extensive lay-by opposite their homes was not acknowledged.

On hearing, by chance, that engineering work was due to commence on Friday August 3, I approached Cllr Bill Clarke during his advice surgery the same evening at Urmston Library, to represent a group of neighbours.

He expressed surprise that residents in our area who necessarily use this stretch of road to access any other destination had not been advised about the scheme and promised to contact me on Monday morning, August 6.

He didn't and was unobtainable for comment that day.

At the same time, I left two telephone requests via Mrs Ackerley with Cllr Ackerly and one on his answerphone, but received no reply. Coun-cil leader Cllr David Acton was also una-vailable.

Before work could begin on the scheme, seven mature trees, average age 50 years, were to be felled. As lopping began, I telephoned appropriate council officers to advise that residents had approached a solicitor to order an injunction to suspend the operation. Instructions were then issued from the town hall to stop felling within an hour. The order was countermanded and the trees were felled.

Notification of this scheme was by 180 letters, distributed with-in a curiously defined area that denied hundreds of residents the chance of an opinion and there was no reference to the removal of trees in this letter. The 180 letters resulted in 23 replies, only 10 in support of the scheme.

Alan Davies, Compton Close, Flixton.