A fighting fund has been set up by campaigners to save ancient woodland in a Bristol valley.

Members of the Snuff Mills Action Group plan to hire a solicitor to challenge Bristol City Council's decision to allow the landowner, Lord Houshang Jafari, to fell trees, which sit at the edge of 14-acre Grove Wood alongside the River Frome in Stapleton.

The trees border Blackberry Hill, and the council says they could fall on to the highway or hit pedestrians.

More than 250 people held a demonstration in July but their protest was ignored, so the action group hopes they can defeat the council's ruling in court.

"We think there has been maladministration here and we are considering going to the Local Government Ombudsman," said Snuff Mills Action Group chairman, Steve Micklewright.

"We believe that Grove Wood should be publicly owned. That could be by the council, the Woodland Trust or Avon Wildlife Trust or by us as a group."

Money raised from the public appeal could be used to buy the wood – thought to be worth £50,000 – from Lord Jafari, who paid £39,000 for it at an auction last year.

Money is also needed for ecological and tree surveys to prove the value of Grove Wood for wildlife.

Mr Micklewright said walkers have felt harassed, trees have been chopped down and areas bulldozed and the earth dumped by the side of the river since the wood was bought last year

A metal fence erected by the owner was pulled down earlier this year, but Mr Micklewright said the action group did not condone vandalism.

He said the group were prepared to take "peaceful direct action" to prevent any more trees from being felled to protect the wood, which is on the opposite bank of the River Frome to Snuff Mills Park, a wildlife haven and place of leisure for generations of Bristolians.

The action group also plans to have a right of way through Grove Wood protected and to apply for Town Green status for the area.

Members must prove the land has been used for leisure pursuits for at least 20 years to be awarded the status.

Mr Jafari has always denied he has plans to develop the woodland but residents fear for its future, pointing to the tree felling.

More than 4,000 signatures have been gathered for the paper petition to save the woods and more than 1,000 people have signed an e-petition on the city council's website.

Bristol City Council said: "Councils have strong powers to prevent inappropriate development such as the Town and Country Planning Act.

"Developers have rights within the law to challenge councils' decisions and in some cases these are referred to national inspectorates."