A DOZEN protected trees will have their tops lopped off to create a safer approach for planes landing at Southampton Airport.

Planners gave the go-ahead yesterday for BAA bosses to move in and chop four metres from the tops of seven Alder trees and four London Plane trees near the White Swan in Mansbridge Road, as well as a pine tree in Cutbush Lane.

The controversial decision will anger more than 200 protesters who signed petitions to prevent work on the trees. They claim it would pave the way for bigger planes to fly even lower over the area.

It was the second tree-chopping application the airport has put before Southampton City Council in the last 12 months.

Last year bosses put in a bid to fell a staggering 200 trees.

It was refused and the application this year was reduced to pruning 12 trees to give planes adequate clearance as they come into land.

Tree expert Nick Yeats told the Planning and Rights of Way Panel that the four-metre height reduction would not harm the trees.

But councillors called for a "tree management plan" to prevent the targeting of historic trees from spiralling out of control.

Councillor Nigel Impey warned that without a scheme, the council would face "sporadic, knee-jerk applications that do not have a base in fact or exact measurements".

He added: "I am amazed that the airport highlighted 200 trees a year ago but then pared it down to 12. This smacks to me of a lack of knowledge of the area we're talking about."

The panel ruled that work must go ahead in the next 12 months.