DISEASED and dying trees along the A3088 near Yeovil are being removed by Somerset County Council for the safety of road users and the public.

The council’s Highways Team needs to carry out essential works to remove a large number of diseased trees along the A3088 which are affected by Ash Dieback and pose a serious hazard due to their close proximity to the road.

The operation will need a full closure of the road from Monday, February 13 to Friday, February 24 – not including the weekend of 18/19 February.

The road will be closed from 8am to 4.30pm during the half term (13 February to 17 February), and 8.30am to 4.30pm from 20-24 February during working hours and there will be a diversion in place.

The closure is from the Cartgate roundabout to Brunsford roundabout.

 

Ash dieback, otherwise known as Hymenoscypus fraxineus is a national problem expected to kill or seriously damage over 95 per cent of the nation’s ash trees.

Early intervention is essential in order to be able to undertake the work safely.

Somerset County Council’s lead member for transport and digital, Cllr Mike Rigby said: “Ash dieback is a serious problem, not just for us, but for every single local authority in the country.

“It’s particularly problematic when you have a large number of trees situated close to the roadside, it means we have to go in and act as soon as possible.

“Removal is the only option which is very sad for our countryside but essential to stop further spread.

“We understand this is inconvenient for road users and we’re doing our best to minimise disruption. We’re grateful to the public for their cooperation as we work to remove this hazard.”

Somerset has a large number of ash trees adjacent to/or close to its key highways and these need to be removed for the safety of the public and road users.

While the A3088 is closed the council’s Bridges and Structures team is taking the opportunity to carry out a safety inspection of structures on Old Road and Montacute Road.