A TOTAL of 135 trees near Dulverton, many suffering from ash dieback disease, are dangerous and will be felled, Exmoor National Park Authority’s planning committee decided at its meeting last Tuesday (January 7).

The committee was told that the trees, on the authority’s Newgate Plantation and subject to a preservation order, were considered a danger to nearby houses, roads, communication and power lines.

They will now be felled in the spring and replaced with Forestry Commission-approved broad-leaved species.

Case officer Graeme McVittie said the plantation was on a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the application was the result of an ash tree falling last summer and bringing down an overhead power line which cut off Dulverton’s electricity.

He said there had been no objection to felling the trees from nearby residents, the Environment Agency, Natural England and local councils.

Mr McVittie added that as ash dieback progressed timber became brittle, increasing the risk to people and property.