National Trust sees storms topple 100-year-old trees

The National Trust has said it could take a week to fully understand the extent of the damage to its properties caused by the recent storms.

Storm Eunice brought winds in excess of 100mph (160km/h) to the UK on Friday and through the weekend.

Knightshayes, in Devon, was among those to see considerable damage to gardens and woodland, the trust said.

A Norway spruce more than 100 years old was so badly damaged it was to be removed by gardeners, it added.

An 80-year-old apple tree at Knightshayes was also felled by the stormy conditions.

Jess Evans, the trust's head gardener at Knighsthayes, said it would take a week to fully assess the damage.

"It's been fairly bad," she said.

"We must have 10 or so trees down across the whole site; a few major limbs, or where a tree has a split down, a massive oak down in the woodlands.

"It's the worst winds I've seen since I've been here in five years, so it's a fair amount of damage."

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