A record number of Christmas trees were recycled thanks to a council's shredding service.

Worthing Borough Council achieved a 26 per cent increase in the number of recycled trees compared with last year's environmentally-friendly efforts.

More than 700 homeowners in the borough took their trees to B&Q in Lyons Farm, Worthing, where the council's landscape contractor shredded them.

Palatine and English Martyrs Schools in Worthing are to use the chippings from the trees to build a maze in their grounds.

The borough's environmental coordinator, Paul Willis, said: "Since the council started offering a recycling service for Christmas trees four years ago, the number of trees brought by Worthing residents has doubled.

"Using the chippings in a school project is an excellent use for this valuable material that may otherwise be sent to landfill or dumped in alleyways."