WORK started on December 4 to fell 11 beech trees and cut back 56 others on a tree-lined avenue.

Officials at The National Trust said they were forced to carry out the work on the beech avenue on the B3082 at Blandford Road, north of Wimborne, for the second year running for safety reasons.

The road runs through the Kingston Lacy estate and the work is estimated to take around two weeks to complete.

During the felling, temporary traffic lights will be in operation, and one of the small car parks along the road will also be closed for two weeks to store the larger bits of timber.

Last winter, the trust had to fell seven trees and cut back 65 others on the same stretch of road. The trees were among 731 planted in the 1830s by the Bankes family.

There are 562 trees still standing but as beech trees only live for between 150 and 200 years, they are beginning to reach the end of their natural lives.

Nigel Chalk, the National Trust's gardens and country-side manager at Kingston Lacy, said: "Inevitably, as these majestic trees collectively approach their old age, they become more vulnerable to losing their limbs or falling in high winds.

"Where possible, we undertake tree surgery to prolong the lives of the trees, but eventually we have to make the decision to fell a whole tree.

"With the B3082 running down the centre of the avenue, we need to anticipate any tree falls this winter."

The National Trust said it would not replace felled trees with saplings within the avenue as there is not enough light for the young trees to establish themselves.

However, in the 1980s, the trust realised the avenue would eventually need to be replaced and planted an outer avenue of beech.