Tree cutting behind Poppies' old Rockingham Road stadium '˜for safety reasons only'

Work was carried out over the weekend which saw trees cut behind the away end of the run-down Poppies stadium.

Speculation had grown that it could have been because of plans for the ground, which has been a contentious issue locally.

But James Rose, director of Rose Tree Care which carried out the work, says this is not the case.

He said: “It’s being done purely for safety reasons.

“There’s nothing going on there.

“In 2014 a bit fell off so the landowner has taken our safety advice.

“They had been cut but they’ve re-grown so they needed pollarding again.”

The Poppies left Rockingham Road for Nene Park in Irthlingborough in 2011 and now play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer.

They had made a bid to list the ground as an asset of community value but it was rejected due to a lack of evidence of community support.

Kettering Council said they could not overturn the decision, despite a petition attracting more than 1,000 signatures.

To sign the petition, click here.