At the height of tensions late last month and early this month over the Laman Street trees, councillors Scott Sharpe, Aaron Buman and Graham Boyd were all telephoned at home and threatened with violence.

Cr Sharpe was told over the phone on Monday, January 30, that the person would ‘‘f---ing kill him’’.

The next day, Cr Boyd received a call from someone who said he was ‘‘coming around to murder me’’.

The same day, Cr Buman had a message left on his home land line in which he said the caller threatened to cut his young daughter’s head off with an axe.

‘‘We generally let calls to home go through to the answering machine and our daughter was on the computer next to the phone,’’ Cr Buman said yesterday.

‘‘It took a while to realise what was going on, with this loud voice through the phone and then my daughter screaming. It took four days to calm her down.’’

Cr Sharpe said police told him yesterday they had found the person who threatened him.

‘‘He also admitted ringing Cr Buman and Cr Boyd from a public phone around the corner from his house,’’ Cr Sharpe said.

‘‘The police say there are mental health issues involved and they don’t think it’s worth pursuing and that a prosecution involving all three calls would be hard to prove.’’

Cr Sharpe said he was satisfied with the decision not to prosecute however Cr Boyd, who did not report his call until last Friday, believed further action should be taken.

Cr Buman said such threats were sadly part of life as a politician.

All three councillors said they felt let down by lord mayor John Tate, who they said should have condemned the threats.