THREATENED trees on Petersfield Square have been spared the chop – for now.

Three maples dotted around the town’s charming centrepiece were due to be felled on Monday after their roots caused surrounding paving slabs to lift up and become uneven, causing a tripping hazard.

But they will stay in place at least until the New Year after East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) chiefs had a U-turn and offered some Christmas cheer to shoppers by not leaving The Square in a barren state through the festivities.

The Christmas lights were switched on in the town last Friday, but no lights were strung in the three maples as they were expected to be cut down less than 72 hours later.

In a statement to residents and town groups, Simon Jenkins, the district council’s executive manager for planning policy, heritage and compliance, said: “Three trees in The Square are causing safety issues and, unfortunately, some people have hurt themselves by tripping on the roots. We do have to resolve this hazard so that The Square can be enjoyed safely by everyone.

“Our plan was to replace the trees with three 19-feet field maples in the coming week.

“Given that our plan has caused a lot of concern, and that there is a risk that the works themselves might be disrupted in an unsafe way, we have decided not to carry out the works this week.”

Mr Jenkins added: “We would now like to publish more information about our plans so that local residents can appreciate more fully what we are trying to do and suggest any other ways of solving this problem.

“We will look at all the suggestions and we won’t be doing any works to the trees until at least the new year.

“In the meantime, we will have to make sure that the areas around the trees stay safe.”