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Oak tree in felling fight is diseased, says council

Mariam IssimdarEssex
News imageEmpics Campaigners sitting and standing next to the oak tree, which has been covered in signs and yellow ribbons. There are cars parked behind it, and further back is a metal fence and modern homes. There is a police car and a police officer in the background.Empics
Campaigners secured an injunction preventing the oak tree from being chopped down by the council last month

A dispute over the felling of an oak tree has taken another turn with a council saying the tree is infected with an incurable disease.

Wivenhoe Town Council has been trying for years to cut down the Old King George oak, near Colchester, as well as a nearby horse chestnut tree. The authority's insurer has said it would be liable if nearby homes were damaged by the trees.

The council has now written to the Save Old King George campaign group, asking it to agree to the lifting of an injunction, after it said an expert diagnosed the disease acute oak decline.

The group's lawyer, Richard Buxton, said he was "seeking urgent professional advice as to the responsible course to take".

News imageStuart Woodward/BBC Kat Scott standing in a park with a tree behind her. She is wearing an orange coat, an orange beret and a black polo neck jumper. She has bright lipstick on and is looking at the camera.Stuart Woodward/BBC
Kat Scott said it was important the court "properly verified evidence before any irreversible decision is made"

In January, the interim injunction was granted to local resident Kat Scott.

The Save Old King George campaign has seven days to respond to Friday's letter, said the town's mayor, Jon Guy, otherwise the council would go to court to ask for the injunction to be withdrawn.

Guy said the untreatable disease was discovered by an arboreal expert brought in before resurfacing work was carried out on the nearby car park, and "tree death could result within three to five years".

The campaign group estimated the tree had a life expectancy of between 40 and 80 years.

News imageStuart Woodward/BBC An oak tree, next to a playing field. There is a set of red swings in the foreground and a bench on the left-hand side. A rickety wooden fence surrounds the playground and there are houses behind the park and tree.Stuart Woodward/BBC
The Old King George oak tree overlooks a park in the centre of Wivenhoe

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