SIX trees in danger of falling are to be cut down on New Road, Worcester.

Motorists are being warned about lane closures when the work is carried out next month.

Worcester City Council was planning to fell the trees tomorrow but had to postpone at the last minute after the Worcester News told it work would clash with Worcestershire Coun-ty Cricket Club's second day's play against Dur-ham. The county championship season opener at the New Road ground is expected to attract about 300 people.

The six lime trees will now be cut down on Thursday, May 10.

Geoff Poole, tree protection officer at the city council, said: "We have postponed everything by two weeks and arranged with the cricket club to do it on a day when nobody's going to be around."

He said the trees - four on the Cripplegate Park side of the road, and two on the cricket club side - need to be chopped down after a recent health and safety inspection conducted by an independent arboricultural consultant found them to have serious structural defects.

The defects would could cause them to fall down in weather such as high winds or heavy rain.

Last year, we reported how a woman had a lucky escape after strong winds blew a tree down on top of her Ford Escort while she was travelling along New Road. Following the incident, a survey was carried and, as a result, Mr Poole said it was "in the interest of public safety" the trees are removed.

He said work will begin at 9.30am and will take one day. The lane on the Cripplegate side of the road would be closed in the morning, and the lane near to the cricket club closed in the afternoon.

Mark Newton, Worces-tershire County Cricket Club chief executive, said: "We can't see the trees from inside the club but they've always been there. I remember when I first came to Worcester I was told they were very important to Worcestershire, so it's a shame."

He said that as part of the cricket ground redevelopment plans they were working with the city council to make sure the area remained attractive.

Mr Poole said the trees will be replaced, but the variety to be used had not been decided.

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