People in Jersey asked to check sycamore trees for disease

Islanders who think their sycamore trees are infected should contact a tree surgeon for advice

The government is asking people in Jersey to check their sycamore trees due to a widespread disease.

Sooty bark disease can cause trees to become brittle and put them at risk of falling down, it said.

Symptoms included branch dieback, flaking layers or bark and sooty black powdery spores on trunks.

The government said islanders who thought their sycamore trees were infected should contact a tree surgeon for advice.

The government said the disease was "widespread in Jersey", and most notable in valleys.

Follow BBC Jersey on Twitter and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].