Ash tree fungus spreading

London: Experts fear the deadly disease threatening to devastate 80 million ash trees may have spread to private gardens for the first time.

At least two likely cases of the killer fungus have been discovered in back gardens and been referred to plant inspectors for confirmation.

Until now, ash dieback has been confined to Forestry Commission land, commercial plantings and nursery stock. In total, it has been confirmed at 200 sites, including 116 in mature woodlands.

The fungus — chalara fraxinea — is rife across mainland Europe. Experts fear the disease will be more catastrophic than Dutch Elm disease which killed 25 million trees here in the 1970s and ’80s. Scientists believe the disease has been present in British woodland for at least two years, arriving through wind-blown spores from France and Belgium.

Homeowners worried that an ash tree is infected should visit the Forestry Commission website, which has pictures and videos advising on how to spot the disease.

There is no known cure, but older trees will take years to die. The current advice is not to cut down an infected mature tree, but it is important to manage the leaf litter, as it is how the fungus spreads.

Gardeners should try to dispose of the leaves within their own property, preferably on a bonfire, rather than moving them elsewhere which may help spread the disease. Toby Hammond, from the University of East Anglia, is behind the ashtag.org project, which allows the public to report suspected cases of the disease.

He said: “We have so far identified 45 sites that are likely to have the disease. Two of these seem like they have been found in back gardens, but they all now need to be confirmed by the plant health inspectors from Defra.”

More than 100,000 ash saplings have been destroyed in recent weeks. Among those facing the task of destroying young plantings is broadcaster Selena Scott, who planted a wood at her Yorkshire farm as part of this year’s Jubilee celebrations.

She is set to lose 5,000 ash trees amid concerns they are infected with the deadly fungus. “It’s devastating,” she said.