THE problem of mature ash trees suffering from a disease, known as ash dieback, is being tackled by the local authority.

Herefordshire Council has set aside £315,000 to deal with the lethal and incurable disease damaging the county’s trees which was first identified in the UK in 2012, slowly kill trees, leading to the shedding of limbs or even entire trees falling.

The council will pay for surveys to monitor trees’ health, removal of those deemed at risk, the authority’s decision notice said.

The council believe it has over half a million ash trees, of which 2,600 have been individually recorded on council land.

Of particular concern are the 100,000 or so ash trees that line the county’s roads, 95 per cent of which are in private ownership.