The tree had stood in Brighton's Preston Park for 200 years

The 200-year-old tree in Brighton, found to have the disease four weeks ago, was felled on Thursday.

Its roots have also been cut and dug out to prevent the disease spreading.

Rob Greenland, arboriculturalist, said elm tree populations were connected at the roots, which is how the fungus kills consecutive trees over time.

"Elm trees make root unions," he said.

"They rub together and they actually join, and when the fungus goes into one tree it can go down through the root system and loop into consecutive trees going right along the line, killing each one."

The disease was first recorded in Britain in 1927 and a major epidemic killed nearly all the elms in Britain in the 1960s and 70s.

The Elm was felled in two parts with the top half followed by the trunk

Brighton chose not to fell its trees during the epidemic but worked hard to save them - the Brighton and Eastbourne area now claims to have the oldest and largest population of elms in the country.

Tree surgeon Justin Cooper said the city's elms were one of the best examples in the world.

He said: "It is an absolute shame, but the way we look at it is that we have to fell them to try to save the others.

"You have to get in there and get on with it."