Ash dieback: 100,000 trees destroyed to halt spread

Symptoms of ash dieback include leaf loss and it can
lead to tree death.

Ministers have confirmed that 100,000 trees have been destroyed to try to prevent the spread of the deadly ash dieback disease.

A ban on the import of ash trees came into force on Monday and an expert tree disease taskforce has been established.

But Labour accused the government of being "asleep on the job" and failing to to act quickly enough.

Ministers said they acted as soon as the disease was confirmed and had taken the threat "extremely seriously".

The Chalara fraxinea fungus, which causes Chalara dieback - also known as ash dieback - has already killed 90% of ash trees in Denmark.

The disease was first spotted in the UK in February, at a nursery in Buckinghamshire, and was subsequently identified in other nurseries and newly planted areas.

But it has now been found in the wider countryside in East Anglia, sparking concerns the disease, which has the potential to devastate the UK's ash tree population, has spread to mature trees.

- BBC.co.uk