Swindon Council has finished removing dead trees from a stretch of road leading to Highworth.

A stand of elm trees, killed by Dutch elm disease, was cleared from a 100 metre section of Highworth Road, near Swindon Supermarine.

A council spokeswoman Caroline Pike said: "The trees were removed after the council conducted a physical search of the woodland. It was established that no wildlife would be harmed in the process."

Grahame Madge, spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, advised that hedge and tree trimming was best done in February.

He said: "Now is the worst possible time of year for people to cut back hedges as it is the nesting season.

"Winter is not ideal either because birds feed on nuts and berries. Nesting generally ends in mid-August."

Dutch elm disease is a deadly fungus that can kill an elm in as little as three weeks by clogging its water-conducting vessels.

Once a tree is infected, it needs to be removed and disposed of properly, either by way of burying or burning.