Extensive damage to a number of trees at Larkey Valley Wood in Chartham has forced Canterbury City Council to temporarily close the site for safety reasons.
Council officers visited for an inspection last week following the recent storms and found several locations where trees were either blocking paths or were left hanging and broken over paths.
This creates significant health and safety dangers that we, as the landowner, the council cannot ignore and closing the woods is the only responsible action to take.
They will shortly be blocking the entrance to the car park to prevent access and signs will be placed at the numerous formal and informal entrances to the woods to tell people they are closed.
Given the extensive area the woods covers, it cannot stop people from entering if they are determined to do so. But the council would strongly urge anyone thinking of visiting to keep well clear for their own safety.
Canterbury City Council will now be working with Kent Wildlife Trust, which manages the land on their behalf, to get the woods back into a safe condition.
There is a lot to do and the ability to secure specialist contractors may be difficult and a timescale on a reopening date cannot be calculated at the moment.