ANGRY Westerleigh parish councillors have condemned a public exhibition held last week by Network Rail and have agreed to organise a public meeting of their own.

At Monday's parish council meeting, councillors said that Network Rail had failed to answer any substantial questions relating to their plans for a vegetation clearance at a railway embankment between Coalpit Heath and Winterbourne.

The company had angered nearby residents in March when they revealed plans to cut down hundreds of trees and shrubs as part of a scheme to stabilise the embankment.

However, the work was suspended for six months after protests led by South Gloucestershire councillor Alan Bracey (Lib Dem, Westerleigh) and Northavon MP Steve Webb.

Last Tuesday's exhibition was meant to be a key part of the public consultation, but Westerleigh councillors were unanimous in their dissatisfaction towards Network Rail.

Cllr Tony Salisbury said: "Their treatment of some of the residents was disgusting - they were downright arrogant."

Cllr Joanna Wallis agreed, saying: "Network Rail have messed up their opportunity to build relations with local residents. They were not prepared for the meeting on Tuesday."

Councillors felt that the company had failed to adequately answer a number of important questions regarding the embankment and had no intention of doing anything else other than follow its original plan.

Cllr Bracey said: "Their position has not changed one iota. I believe we are now on a damage limitation exercise and will be lucky to save 20 percent of the vegetation on the embankment."

He went on to say that the Network Rail representatives at the meeting were unable to pinpoint on a map exactly where on the track stabilisation work needed doing, a view backed up by Cllr Wallis.

She said: "Can they demonstrate that the work is absolutely necessary? This is the sort of question we should expect an answer to."

Following a complete lack of answers at the exhibition, councillors decided that the company would not be allowed to get away with it.

Cllr Bracey added: "We need to give our unanswered questions to Network Rail in writing and tell them we expect them to be answered in writing."

Councillors agreed that a letter, written by Cllr Wallis, specifying the council's questions about the clearance project, should be sent to Network Rail as soon as possible.

It was then proposed by Cllr Bracey that the council should organised a public meeting so that all residents' concerns could be heard, collated and then sent on to Network Rail in a separate letter.

After a short discussion, the council agreed to host the meeting on an as yet undecided date, depending on the availability of a suitable venue - most likely the Manor Hall, Coalpit Heath, in early June.

Cllr Bracey added that residents would be informed of the exact details via media publicity and a letter drop.