A new trial date has been set in the case against two Isle of Wight men who are jointly accused of felling protected trees.

At an earlier hearing, Mark Andrew King, 63, of Watery Lane, Newchurch, denied contravening a tree preservation order (TPO), on February 14, 2018.

The businessman also pleaded not guilty to a second breach of a TPO, jointly with Samuel John Woodward, 42, of Carter Avenue, Shanklin, on March 27, 2018.

The pair appeared before an Isle of Wight Crown Court judge on Monday (April 24).

A trial had been set to go ahead on May 22 but, after a change in solicitors' firms, Judge David Melville agreed to a date next year instead.

The trial is now scheduled for January 8, 2024 and is expected to last five days.

Meanwhile, both men have been bailed to reappear at a follow-up hearing, at the same venue, on September 15 2023.