NEIGHBOURS have been left hacked-off after council contractors cut back a mile-long stretch of foliage, including private hedgerows.
Bushes and trees, extending four feet back from the road and as much as 15ft high, were chopped back along Blasford Hill between Broomfield Hospital and Little Waltham this month.
Resident John Fairweather, 67, pictured, said: "It's wanton vandalism.
"It's rather disturbing that you have people supposedly working as conservationists doing damage to the hedgerows and the natural habitats of wildlife."
County council cabinet member for highways maintenance and small scheme delivery, Cllr Eddie Johnson, said: "The work on Blasford Hill is part of a countywide initiative to improve road safety on all of Essex's 'Priority 1' routes.
"We are cutting back overhanging hedges to improve sightlines and prevent road signs from being obscured."
But Mr Fairweather, who has lived in the road for more than 30 years, said: "There wasn't anything hanging over the road and instead they have caused devastation up the road going up to the roundabout at Essex Regiment Way."
