A PROPERTY development company and one of its directors have been prosecuted after carrying out unauthorised work on protected oak trees in Kingsteignton.

Samara Investments Limited and director Ralph Brown were booth prosecuted by Teignbridge Council and pleaded guilty to contravening a Tree Preservation Order.

The company and Brown were ordered to pay a total of £4,432.40 in fines, costs and surcharges.

Complaints were made to the council in December 2025 about work on trees protected by a TPO on land off Firleigh Road, Kingsteignton.

An investigation found that branches and stems had been removed from several protected oak trees along the northern and eastern boundaries of the site without the council’s consent.

The case, brought by Teignbridge District Council, was heard at Newton Abbot Magistrates Court.

The council decided it was in the public interest to prosecute due to the extent of the unauthorised work and the poor standard of the pruning.

Samara Investments Limited pleaded guilty to contravening a Tree Preservation Order by carrying out works to protected trees without first obtaining consent from the council.

Ralph Brown pleaded guilty to consenting to, conniving in, or neglecting the commission of the offence by the company.

The company was fined £1,600, reduced from £2,400 following an early guilty plea. It was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £640 and council costs of £1,083.20.

Mr Brown received a two-year conditional discharge, reduced from three years following an early guilty plea. He was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £26 and council costs of £1,083.20.

Councillor Suzanne Sanders, Teignbridge District Council's Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, said: ;Trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order play an important role in our towns and villages.

‘Once they're damaged, it can take decades for that loss to be replaced.

‘Given the extent and poor quality of the work carried out in this case, we believed it was in the public interest to take legal action.

‘This prosecution sends a clear message that Tree Preservation Orders must be respected. Anyone planning work to a protected tree should contact the council before work starts.’

Tree Preservation Orders protect trees that make an important contribution to the character and appearance of an area.

They provide established canopy cover and play an important role in biodiversity. Protected trees can take many decades to replace if they are lost or damaged.

Anyone planning work to a protected tree must first get permission from the council.