Vince Cable

This week two Liberal Democrat councillors, Martin Elengorn and David Trigg, have put down a motion in the Council condemning Network Rail's 'wanton destruction' of Twickenham Rough.

But Vincent Cable MP has received, what he describes as, an "utterly bizarre" letter from the Chief Executive of Network Rail which suggests that Network Rail contractors thought they were clearing an area in Hampton Hill, not Twickenham, and further claims that Richmond Council had approved the clearance as "essential for the safe running of the railway".

Vincent Cable said: "I am utterly baffled. I wrote to the Head of Network Rail about the clearance of Twickenham Rough and he wrote back a letter which described Hampton Hill as the site near Twickenham Station. Perhaps they need a set of maps before they start clearing vegetation. The whole episode suggests a serious level of incompetence.

"We also need to get to the bottom of Network Rail's claim that the Council authorised the clearance despite it being a site of Nature Interests. Network Rail appears not to recognise this category of conservation status but only sites of Special Scientific Interest or Tree Preservation Orders. This needs to be sorted out before more danger is done."