RESIDENTS in Minehead are being urged to help save a 1,000-year-old tree-lined sunken road on the outskirts of the town feared to be on the verge of collapse due to structural instability and lack of maintenance.

Campaigners have contacted more than 250 households in the area around the Periton Lane Saxon holloway, an ancient leafy track with embankments up to 30 feet deep.

Nearly 70 people have signed a petition calling on Somerset Council and Minehead Town Council to prevent continual erosion which is also destroying trees and wildlife habitat.

Campaign leader Christopher Gates said: “Many people use the lane to walk into town and to walk their dogs and therefore have seen the erosion of the embankments and watched the trees die and fall.”

One tree, known as the ‘Great Oak’, collapsed during Storm Darragh in December, 2024, and was claimed to be evidence that the holloway’s embankments were failing and required urgent reinforcement.

Residents pointed out that without major maintenance more trees were likely to fall, leading to the destruction of the wildlife corridor.

There have also been claims that the erosion is progressing along footpaths and into the gardens of nearby properties.

The appeal to residents suggested urgent work could be paid for with National Lottery funding or other fund-raising sites.

Erosion could be dealt with by erecting stone-filled gabions, designating areas as nature reserves and replanting with indigenous trees, including oaks, hazels, elders, and ash.

These would replace trees which were dying due to the erosion and inadequate soil around their roots.

Mr Gates said: “It has also been suggested that the embankment be planted up with wisteria or clematis or other fragrant plants and also with fruit and blossom trees, as the surrounding land was known to have been used as orchards for at least 500 years.

“It is also of concern that the top road of Periton Lane could eventually collapse completely as soil settles at 45 degrees and large sections of the embankments are nine metres deep and nine metres from the edge.”

Mr Gates said a 200-year-old oak tree near the exit to the holloway was the subject of a tree protection order.

He said: “There is discussion about raising the level of the tarmac, which may be good news for this tree depending on how high Somerset Council intend to raise it.

“This would be the time to erect gabion baskets and back fill with adequate soil so foliage can be planted to benefit from the construction.

“Some residents were distressed about 15 years ago by rumours that the council intended to fill in the holloway.

“There is also an extraordinary coppiced oak sitting on a rock near where the ‘Great Oak’ stood.

“It was a strong healthy tree but was leaning toward the road when it was coppiced.

“It is recovering and is now symbiont with the rock holding it up, as the rock supports the tree.”

The petition can be found on the Change.org website.