Tree-felling protester injured in incident with police

A charity worker suffered a head injury when police tried to remove her from a protest against trees being felled in a Cornish seaside town.

- Steven Morris

Debs Newman, 60, said she was “bearing witness” to the loss of three mature lime trees in Falmouth when she was seized by officers.

Newman, who said she had never been in trouble with the police, fell to the floor and hit her head, leaving her needing treatment from paramedics.

She said: “It all happened so quickly. I think someone had my arms, someone my feet. I heard a crack and my head hit the pavement. The next thing I remember was being in an ambulance and a paramedic asking me questions. It was such a shock. Everything was quite blurry. It felt like an assault.”

Cornwall council said the trees in Trelawney Road needed to be removed because they were causing damage to the road, pavement and nearby property.