Hundreds of trees kept alive by group in heatwave

Hundreds of trees have been kept alive by a team of volunteers who watered them during the UK's hottest summer on record.

They were protected by the Witham Tree Group, which said it had been a "punishing" few months.

Volunteers pumped water from the River Brain into a 1,000-litre bowser, before touring the Essex town with it and hydrating the trees.

Chairman Barry Fleet said: "It's all about tackling climate change. This is taking action locally."

Most of the watered trees had been planted by Fleet's group over the past decade.

"This year, we started watering earlier than ever before - mid-April - and I wouldn't be surprised if we're still watering into October," he said.

Up to eight volunteers spent a combined 30 hours a week making sure the local environment was hydrated.

The group was hampered by Essex & Suffolk Water imposing a hosepipe ban at the end of July.

Despite this, they also continued planting oak, hornbeam, sycamore and maple trees, especially focusing on playgrounds.

"We're trying to create a greener cover within our town," Fleet added.

"It's something we've been working on very hard over the years with significant success."

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