A Watford woman was outraged after seeing workmen destroy a bird's nest with a pole outside her home.

The lady, who asked to remain unnamed, watched as tree surgeons knocked the nest from a tree near Himalayan Way while carrying out their work.

She said it was "outrageous how people can’t tolerate the world of animals", adding dogs walking nearby make more mess than the birds.

“People enjoy a little green between blocks of flats here, there are lot of birds around, not only from those two nests," she added.

“Just a simple question: what was the reason behind doing it?

"The birds might have made some mess on the playground or on the parked cars but other birds come here and do the same too, it’s not possible to get rid of all of them, that’s nature."

She also queried what would happen when the "homeless" birds then build another nest nearby.

"Will they cut all trees?" she added.

"If people can’t live with nature then we truly deserve global warming and all its effects!”

A spokesman for G&R Tree Surgeons, which carried out the work, said it had been asked to reduce two field maples and two silver birches by 30 per cent when workmen found a "dormant" nest above that height.

Watford Observer:

He continued: “Works were carried out to field maples using a cherry picker and the nest was checked before any works were carried out.

“Whilst on site the operators were approached by a resident who asked if they could remove a partially removed dormant nest in a separate silver birch, which we removed after having checked that the nest was not in use, using a pole.

“Obviously, if the nest was being used, we would not have touched it at all.”

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) website states: “A nest is considered active if it is in use or being built and the moment it becomes active, it is illegal to destroy it.

“Unfortunately it’s not uncommon for a bird to use a nest once and then never return to it, making it incredibly tricky to tell if it is still in use or not.

Watford Observer: Look after those birds

“If you see a nest, your best bet is to err on the side of caution and assume that it is active."

An RSPB spokeswoman said it could not comment on this specific incident regarding whether the nest was active, but urged the public to follow guidance on its website.

More details about bird nesting laws and what to do if you find a baby bird can be found here.