A MAJOR tree cutting operation is underway at Los Altos Park in Sandown, and one concerned resident has described it as using a hammer to crack a nut . Christopher Saunders of Fairfield Gardens, whose property backs on to the railway line, fears the work is excessive and will serve only to impinge the aesthetic of the park. The Isle of Wight Council says the trees will be maintained as pollards from now on with an annual pruning cycle reducing the risk to the public. The local authority says it has a duty of care to manage the risk posed by the trees, and it has become necessary for them to be cut back.