Confirmed cases of ash dieback in Kent

More cases of a disease threatening to devastate Britain's native ash trees have been discovered in Kent today.

The government revealed three more confirmed cases of the deadly fungus, bringing the county total to 11 - one of Britain’s biggest cluster of cases.

It comes as efforts are stepped up to identify trees affected by ash dieback - or Chalara - after the disease was found in woodlands in six more counties.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it has been found in a total of 115 locations in England and Scotland.

Most of the Kent cases are in the south east of the county, many between Ashford and Dover, although Defra would not reveal exact locations.

Environment secretary Owen Paterson said the government had no way of preventing the fungus arriving from the continent.

He said: "This is an airborne disease - there is little any government could have done.

"It is a fungus that blows in across the sea, which presents us with a real problem."

The latest cases are revealed after hundreds of inspectors have been conducting a huge survey of Britain’s woodlands.

Defra stressed the discovery of more cases of the disease does not mean it is spreading rapidly.

It is likely it has been present in Kent for several years, originally caused by spores blown in from mainland Europe.

Ash dieback has already wiped out up to 90% of ash trees in some areas of Denmark and elsewhere in Europe.

Martin Ward, chief plant health officer at Defra, said: "We have thrown all possible resources at this surveying exercise, which has given us a much clearer picture of the distribution of the disease to inform our evidence base.

"The science on Chalara is still emerging and the more evidence we have, the greater our knowledge and understanding of this disease and the better we are able to tackle it."