Ash dieback tree fungus could cost Britain £15 billion and wipe out the UK’s ...

A killer tree disease is predicted to cost Britain billions of pounds over the next decade.

Ash dieback, the fungus some experts fear could wipe out the UK’s 125 million ash trees, will cost the UK almost £15 billion, according to scientists.

Almost half of this cost will come in the next decade, as dangerous roadside trees are felled and large woods need to be replanted.

The ash dieback fungus came to the UK seven years ago from continental Europe and it is feared it may cause a repeat of the devastation caused by Dutch elm disease. 

It has no cure, leaves diamond-shaped scars on the bark of trees, causes them to lose their leaves and kills up to 99 per cent of the trees it infects.

Researchers led by the University of Oxford say ash dieback is estimated to cost Britain a third more than the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001.

The predicted cost of £14.8 billion includes the lost benefits provided by the trees, such as absorbing harmful pollution from the air.

Dr Louise Hill, who led a study on the disease from the department of plant sciences at the University of Oxford, said: ‘The numbers of invasive tree pests and diseases are increasing rapidly, and this is mostly driven by human activities, such as trade in live plants and climate change.

‘Nobody has estimated the total cost of a tree disease before, and we were quite shocked at the magnitude of the cost to society.’

Co-author Dr Nick Atkinson, a senior conservation adviser for the Woodland Trust, said: ‘To see how this has also affected our economy speaks volumes for how important tree health is, and that it needs to be taken very seriously.

‘It is clear that to avoid further economic and ecological impacts, we need to invest more in plant biosecurity measures.

‘This includes better detection, interception and prevention of other pests and diseases entering the country.’