Hundreds of dead and dying trees bordering a busy road have been cleared by Somerset County Council’s Highways Team and partner agencies.
The B3135 near Cheddar reopened on Friday (March 5th) after being closed for nearly a month while the work has been carried out.
The operation targeted 250 trees affected by ash dieback, (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus), a fungus that will kill or seriously effect over 95 per cent of our ash trees.
Dead and diseased trees growing adjacent to roads can potentially fall into the carriageway, so must be removed.
An ecological assessment undertaken prior to any works and all necessary steps are taken to prevent disturbance to the remaining habitat.
Thousands of trees have been felled across the county over the last 12 months.
“As the Highways Authority doing nothing is simply not an option – we have to act swiftly to remove diseased trees from the roadside,” says Cllr John Woodman, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport.
“The loss of this beautiful woodland in our county is a real blow but we have to put the safety of the public and road users first – this is a national problem affecting Local Authorities across the UK.”
