Woodland partly closes as diseased trees are felled

Harriet Robinson & Martin Evans

BBC News, West of England

North Somerset Council Weston Woods, showing trees making a canopy while the sun is shining. A man and woman are walking away down a path in the middle of the shot.North Somerset Council

The restricted access will only take place during weekdays

Parts of a popular woodland area are set to shut for three weeks while diseased trees are removed.

North Somerset Council will close several public rights of way in Weston Woods in Weston-super-Mare from 13 February until 7 March after more trees were found to be infected with the fungal disease ash dieback.

Visitors have been warned to expect restricted access and diversions to footpaths and bridleways during weekdays.

Councillor Mike Solomon said: “We don’t take public rights of way closures lightly as we realise the inconvenience and disruption that it inevitably causes.”

Locals in Weston Wood talk to Martin Evans

No-one will be allowed to pass in either direction between 08:00 and 17:00 GMT on the days that work is being carried out.

Signage, barrier tape and fencing will be in place.

Ash dieback, caused by the Hymenoscyphus fraxineus fungus, arrived in the UK in 2012 and has led to thousands of trees being cut down.

The council said the “rapid decline” in the health of the diseased trees in Weston Woods meant they urgently need removing for safety reasons and to prevent further damage to the Worlebury Camp Hillfort, an Iron age monument.

Mr Solomon, the council’s executive member for neighbourhoods and community services, explained they had surveyed all ash trees in North Somerset and published an Ash Dieback Action Plan in 2022.

Councillor Mike Solomon standing in front of a wooden clock and plant display in a town centre. He is wearing large black glasses, a beige jacket and blue shirt.

Mike Solomon explained the council previously removed badly-infected trees from the woods in December 2022 and January 2023

“This sets out how we are dealing with the issue in North Somerset, including replanting in areas where we have had to remove infected trees.”

He said teams from across the council were working together “to limit disruption to the local environment, local residents and the people who use the woods for recreation”.

As well as the ash dieback work, additional trees will be removed within Worlebury Camp Hillfort and near Trinity Steps.

Access will not be restricted on weekends during the work period.