A roadside sapling caused tree-mendous controversy with a councillor who personally raised the thorny issue of its uprooting with the county’s top highways chief.

Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst claims his frustration over the plant stemmed from his repeated reporting of its presence - accompanied by two cones - in the central reservation of the A405, opposite North Watford Police Station, since last summer.

He said he did not understand why the person responsible for cutting the grass did not nip the problem in the bud by simply getting rid of it.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Giles-Medhurst, who represents Central Watford and Oxhey ward on Hertfordshire County Council and is the party’s opposition spokesman for Highways, claims that after numerous attempts to contact highways staff, he resorted to emailing the department head on Monday.

In his email to the Highways department boss, Cllr Giles-Medhurst said: "We seem to be protecting a special tree sapling on the A405 North Orbital Road opposite the North Watford Police Station.

"Whilst I have reported this (and the cones) in the past, it has been ignored and every time the grass is cut here they have been left in place.

"Clearly the sapling is of such a special variety it must be protected. Does Natural England know? Has Kew Gardens been told? Please let me know why it is that Highways must protect it in such a way."

He added: "In all seriousness, unless unbelievably the above is true, it just shows that whoever is cutting the grass cannot think outside of the box. It's been cut twice in recent months, and this sapling has been ignored."

A county council spokeswoman said: "We only had one report of the sapling and it has now been removed."