A369 North Somerset closed or five days to fell diseased trees

Part of the A369 will be closed for five days while diseased trees are felled.

The section of Martcombe Road on either side of the Happerton Lane junction will be closed until Friday 16 February between 09.30 GMT until 15.30 GMT.

All traffic, including cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians, will not be allowed to pass in either direction and diversion routes will be marked out.

The trees are infected with ash dieback fungus which can be fatal.

Urgent action is needed to remove them for safety reasons as they have rapidly declined in health.

Councillor Mike Solomon from North Somerset Council said it was "important" the trees in question were removed "safely and quickly".

"Sadly some infected trees do pose a risk to the public if they aren't removed safely," Mr Solomon said.

"In this case, infected trees are close to a busy route, and it's very important that we remove them safely and quickly. We realise that closing a main road will cause inconvenience and disruption to road users, so we'll carry out the work as fast as we can."

Wildlife and woodland expansion officers are seeking to plant replacement trees "wherever we can", Mr Solomon added.

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