Stanmer Park tree felling under way after incidents

Brighton and Hove City Council said diseased ash trees have fallen onto paths in Stanmer Park, Brighton, creating a "very real risk of significant injury".

The council said that although felling work took place in early spring, the disease has spread among the trees, especially larger ones, and they are now falling more often.

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A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "The symptoms and effects of ash dieback – including canopy decline, dead branches and trees falling following even minor winds – are now occurring more often and affecting larger, more mature ash trees.

"This means the risk to the public has increased substantially and the threat of significant injury occurring is now high and not acceptable."

The tree felling will take between three and four weeks.

During this work, public access to the woodland will be via alternative safe routes.

The council is putting clear signs and barriers in place, and is also attempting to minimise the disruption the felling will have on nesting birds.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "The threat from falling trees and the duty of care we have to the public means that we have had to take the exceptional decision to carry out this work during the designated bird nesting season, which runs from March until the end of July.

"Where we've had to carry out woodland ash dieback removals in the nesting season before, we work closely with an independent ecologist to ensure that the disturbance to wildlife is minimised.

"The site will be thoroughly surveyed before and as works progress by the ecologist, and any active nests will be avoided until the chicks have fledged.

"Only once the nest is no longer active will work be allowed to continue in the vicinity."

The council said it will return to the park at a later date to carry out more work on diseased trees which are slightly lower risk.