ONE of Europe's tallest broadleaf trees can be found in a Dorset school – and it's been shortlisted for a country-wide competition.

A London plane which can be found in the grounds of Bryanston School, near Blandford, is a finalist in the England's Tree of the Year 2019 event.

The tree stands nearly 164 foot – or 50 metres – tall, meaning it's just a little shorter than Nelson's Column. It is the tallest broadleaf tree in the UK, and one of the tallest in Europe.

Its height was confirmed in 2015 when school pupils using professional climbing equipment scaled it in order to measure it.

Members of the public are now invited to vote for their favourite finalist. Some ten trees are shortlisted, including Liverpool's Allerton Oak in Calderstones Park, which may have been growing since the times of the Norman Conquest; the Isle of Wight's Dragon Tree, which a myth claims was once a dragon slain by a Crusading knight; and Fallen Tree in London's Richmond Park, which has continued to grow after falling over in a storm.

The Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year competition runs in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with a public vote in each country selecting a champion to go forward to the 2020 European Tree of the Year contest.

The awards aim to raise awareness of the importance of trees, and also provide a £1,000 tree care award for each winner, which could be spent on work to benefit the tree's health, signage, or a community celebration.

For more information, or to vote, visit woodlandtrust.org.uk/treeoftheyear

Voting closes at noon on September 27.