Project to plant 700,000 trees passes halfway point

The 700,000 figure represents a tree for every person in the county

A project to plant 700,000 new trees across Leicestershire has passed the halfway mark, the county council has said.

The push was announced in 2021 to address the fact Leicestershire was one of the least wooded counties in England.

The authority says 356,000 new trees have been planted since the project began.

It said this included 50,000 trees given away in 2023 through a partnership with the Woodland Trust - a number it hopes to exceed this year.

Blake Pain, cabinet member for the environment, said: "It is a huge achievement to have passed the halfway mark, and I would like to thank everyone who has helped us to reach this major milestone in our planting programme."

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