More than 120 trees cleared from National Park

Some felled trees can take hours to clear

Many trees are still blocking roads and paths in Somerset, a week after Storm Darragh hit the county, it has been reported.

Exmoor National Park's rangers had moved more than 120 trees over the last week, and there were still many to go, they said.

The team was hoping to clear the main footpaths before the Christmas period.

Sue Applegate, public rights of way and access officer at the park, said: "Exmoor is very reliant on its path network and we want to get it open and ready for Christmas."

Rangers have cleared more than 120 trees over the last week

Ms Applegate added that while some trees only took a few minutes to clear, others could take several hours.

"It's quite a task," she said.

"It's such a shame to see trees that are hundreds of years old brought down by a storm like this."

Graeme McVittie, senior woodlands officer at Exmoor National Park, said it had been "pretty full-on".

"The impact of this storm has been really significant," he added.

"As we're seeing these storms increasing in frequency and intensity, we have a job on our hands and we need to be aware of what the future has in store for us.

"We have a duty of care to people who use our footpaths and we try to make sure trees are in safe condition, but it's difficult."