Diseased historic trees in Coalville Park to be felled

Coalville Park was formally opened in March 1899 and this year marks its 125th anniversary

Historic trees in a Leicestershire park are to be felled due to disease.

Tree specialists have advised North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) four oak trees and a beech tree are diseased and need to be taken down.

Councillor Michael Wyatt, at NWLDC, said it had "saddened everyone".

But five new trees including three oaks, a copper beech and a rowan will be planted in their place in March, with additional fruit trees in the sensory garden and a field at the park.

The exact age of the trees that will be chopped down is unknown, but some of them are thought to date back to when Coalville Park opened in 1899.

NWLDC said the decision to fell the trees was made to make sure visitors to the park were kept safe but to also ensure the disease affecting the trees did not spread to other healthy trees in the park.

The five trees are affected by something different and not of the same disease.

The oak trees are covered in Chicken of the Woods fungus (Laetiporus sulphureus), are suffering from substantial dieback and are prone to cleaving and splitting as a result of its genetics.

The beech tree is rotting internally, which could lead to falling branches.

The tree on the left is among those being felled

Mr Wyatt, the portfolio holder for community services at NWLDC, said: "It's saddened everyone who manages our parks that these trees need to come down. In a formal park like Coalville Park large trees like these are a significant part of the space.

"Once the trees are down, the trunks will be assessed for their suitability to become part of a future project.

"We'll store any suitable wood and will look into potentially using the timber for sculpture or another use that with bring something positive to the park or other spaces in the future."

Work to fell the trees has been delayed following Storm Henk, but the work will start within the next few weeks.