Ash tree crisis

The coalition government has been accused by a Tory peer of acting too late in its handling of ash dieback disease.

The Earl of Selborne said public reaction to the outbreak had been one of disbelief that once again the nation had been "caught by surprise" despite earlier warnings.

He urged ministers to set up methods of identifying threats to Britain's trees and plants much earlier, through better monitoring and surveillance.

Opening a Lords debate on the future of British ash trees, Lord Selborne, a former president of the Royal Agricultural Society, likened the "crisis" to the impact of Dutch elm disease in the 1970s.

One of London's most popular trees is under serious threat.

A fungal disease is wiping out ash trees across the country, and now there's a warning that it could spread to the capital.

It's already affecting trees in Kent. Ronke Phillips reports now on what could happen if it takes hold in London's parks.

A fungal disease is wiping out ash trees across the country, and now there's a warning that it could spread to the capital.

It's already affecting trees in Kent and East Anglia and the number of confirmed cases of ash dieback is expected to increase.

In some areas of Denmark 90% of ash trees have been killed.

Professor Michael Shaw, a plant disease expert from the University of Reading, said the impact could be "catastrophic", warning it could wipe out 19 out of every 20 ash trees.