1,000 diseased trees face axe over fear branches could fall on passers-by

AS MANY as half of Wakefield’s 2,000 ash trees are thought to be diseased and risk injuring members of the public if they are not chopped down, a report has said.

More than 1,000 trees across the district face being felled because of ash dieback disease.

A survey carried out last year by Wakefield Council revealed that 50 per cent of trees had the condition, which is spreading across the UK.

The ailment kills the tree and in the meantime increases the risk of branches falling off, potentially putting passers-by in danger.

The council has now revealed plans to cut down those affected and plant new ones to compensate.

A report going before senior members of the authority next week said failure to respond to the disease would create “potential financial and legal risks” from personal-injury claims caused by falling tree branches.

The report added: “The unmanaged loss of trees would also cause potential reputational risk to the council.”

The report said there are about 2,500 ash trees across the local area.

Speaking ahead of next week’s meeting, the council’s deputy leader, Jack Hemingway, said: “Sadly, the disease will inevitably result in irrecoverable damage to tree health and, over time, many ash trees will unfortunately need to be removed.

“The safety of our residents must come first and we need to be more regularly inspecting and managing these trees to reduce the risk of damage or injury.

“We are committed to replacing all trees removed, as close to the location of tree loss as possible, and of suitable species for the location.”