Promising a “radical” overhaul in environmental protection, Owen Paterson admitted the deadly disease was just one of a number that are increasingly threatening British trees.

“I’m prepared to look very radically at how we protect our environment.”

The UK imports around 500,000 ash trees every year. Up to nine in 10 ash trees in some areas of the Europe are infected with the disease.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9667795/Ash-dieback-tree-disease-is-here-to-stay-minister-warns.html