SUNNYHURST Wood has been closed after a dozen trees were uprooted following heavy snow.

After East Lancashire was pounded by snow on Friday night, the soil beneath the trees became so boggy that the roots could no longer hold them up.

Chairman of the Friends of Sunnyhurst Wood Dennis Gillibrand said the council had closed the wood while the trees were cleared. He said: “I was getting calls from 8am on Saturday saying trees and branches were falling on to the paths.

“There are 10 down on the main centre path from the marble bridge past the paddling pool. A lot of the other paths are impassible.

“The council told me they would close it to the public for health and safety reasons.” Mr Gillibrand said it was an unprecedented move by the council. He added: “I don’t think we have ever had to close the woods before. It is a major problem.

“People were having to climb over trees which is dangerous as the ground is very soft and boggy.

“I think that is why the trees have gone over, because the soil was so soft and the roots haven’t been able to keep them up. We want people to be very wary and take care around the woods.”

Sunnyhurst councillor Dave Smith said he didn’t expect the closure to go on beyond the end of the week.

He said: “It looks like the snow has melted so quickly that the ground was left too soft to support the trees.

“They have said work should be carried out in the next couple of days.”

n Mr Gillibrand added that phase one of the removal of silt from the Sunnyhurst Wood paddling pool had been completed.

He said: “I would ask people using the wood to be considerate as we wait for the piles of silt to dry out.”