Somerset Wildlife Trust has announced that due to advanced ash dieback on its Black Rock reserve, the road through Cheddar Gorge will be closed for three weeks while tree safety work is carried out.

Due to the advanced nature of ash dieback within this area, Somerset Wildlife Trust will be felling all ash trees within striking distance of the highway and public rights of way, as these trees will pose a significant and ever increasing risk to public safety if left standing.

The road closure will last from November 23 until December 14 on Cliff Road/B3135 (the road running through Cheddar Gorge) from the edge of the village up until where the road splits to become the B3371 and Plummer's Lane.

Work will also be carried out along the bridleway running through Black Rock reserve itself from November 16 until December 7.

Walkers and visitors are reminded to stick to paths, follow diversions and other signs and not visit this reserve at all during high winds, as this can be dangerous.

Ash dieback tree safety work must be carried out by specialist contractors who are experienced at working on sensitive sites.

Due to the extent of the disease and unpredictability of trees which are infected, this work often requires specialist machinery such as tree shears and high lift platforms to reduce the risks.

Somerset Wildlife Trust has carried out their own specialist assessment, which has detailed the extent of the problem and highlighted the scale of the work that is needed to bring the situation under some form of control on their reserves.

Estimates for just the most urgent safety work that needs to be done to ensure that the public are kept safe on roads and Public Rights of Way across their reserves stand at £600,000.

This is just the start of what will be a long-term emergency response and recovery plan for these woodlands, the habitats they provide, their wildlife and for the people and communities around them.

It has launched an Ash Dieback Fund to help secure funding for the work and welcomes donations here: www.somersetwildlife.org/ashdiebackfund

Although the works will have a striking visual impact along Cheddar Gorge, there is one silver lining; removing these ash trees will effectively create a strip of woodland edge habitat, and the extra light that will then reach through the canopy will encourage the growth of ground flora and understory plants.

This will increase the structural diversity of the woodland running through the gorge and should be beneficial for the strong resident population of dormice there, as well as woodland butterflies and other invertebrates.

First discovered in the UK in 2012, ash dieback is a fungal disease affecting ash trees. The disease is now present in all counties of England.

Experience in Europe suggests that the majority of ash trees in woodlands infected with the disease will decline and die. This is deeply concerning for the trust, as up to 90 per cent of some Mendip woodlands are ash.