Coco Reef Bermuda, the former Stonington Beach Hotel, is being sued for damages after staff were mistakenly instructed to chop down neighbouring woodland reserve in order to make a path to the beach for guests.

The hotel lost its beach access when a seawall collapsed during Hurricane Fabian and management admitted this week that, in an attempt to keep guests happy, trees were cleared on their property - and beyond.

Lawyers for EB Properties, the company which tends the woodland reserve on the South Shore in Paget, confirmed yesterday that they will take legal action against Coco Reef for the incursion.

EB Properties is related to Coco Reef's neighbour Elbow Beach Hotel but does not operate the hotel.

Lawyer Geoffrey Bell, of Appleby, Spurling & Kempe, told The Royal Gazette EB Properties plans to claim the expense of the damages and seeks to prevent continued trespass on the Woodlands Reserve property.

"EB Properties plans to restore the reserve as best it can," he said, including re-planting trees. "There will be expense regarding that."

Coco Reef director Andrea Jennings said Tuesday the hotel was "over-enthusiastic" in its tree pruning.

After the trees were cleared, Elbow Beach put up a fence on the boundary between the two properties, leaving Coco Reef guests with no access to the beach unless they climbed through a hole in the fence.