PART of the A370, Bridgwater Road, will be closed for five days to remove trees infected with fungal disease.

The road will be closed from Monday, October 14 until Friday, October 18, between 9.30am and 3.30pm while North Somerset Council will remove trees infected with Ash Dieback The closure starts at the roundabout by Weston General Hospital and extends north along Bridgwater Road, finishing just before the junction with Windwhistle Lane.

North Somerset Council needs to close the road to safely remove a number of trees infected with Ash Dieback.

Ash Dieback is a fungal disease which can be fatal to ash trees.

The council carries out surveys to assess and monitor the health of infected trees.

In many circumstances the council may eventually have to remove trees for safety reasons.

More information about Ash Dieback can be found at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/ashdieback.

To find out more about the road closure, visit: https://one.network/?GB139596260.

Councillor Mike Solomon, North Somerset Council’s executive member for culture and leisure, said: “We understand this essential tree safety work will impact travel.

“Emergency vehicles are exempt from the closure, and the road will be fully marshalled so anyone who needs urgent care can still travel safely to and from Weston General Hospital in ambulances.

“Please follow the signage and traffic measures that are in place, and thank you for your patience while we carry out this urgent work.

“Up to 90 per cent of ash trees in Britain are thought to be at risk of Ash Dieback.

“We regularly survey our ash trees in North Somerset, and we’ve identified that the infected trees in this area unfortunately need to be removed.

“This work helps us protect North Somerset’s green spaces, and officers look to plant replacement trees wherever they can.”

For more information on road closures, visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/roadworks.

You can also receive updates on social media from Facebook (NStravelandroads).