GREEN Party deputy leader Amelia Womack will visit the North East today to lend her support to tree campaigners across South Tyneside, Newcastle and Darlington.

The visit has been sparked by the formation of STTAG, the South Tyneside Tree Action Group set up to fight Tyneside Council’s programme to replace flagged pavements with tarmac across the borough. This has already led to the removal of 173 street trees, with the promise of more.

While she’s in the region, she will also visit Newcastle – the newly crowned ‘tree felling capital of the UK, with the loss of more than 8,000 trees in the last three years alone.

She will meet with members of Newcastle Green Party and the Save Newcastle Wildlife group.

She will also stop off in Darlington to meet with concerned residents and members of Darlington Greens who are outraged at the felling of 200 trees for luxury housing and the planned loss of a community woodland that is less than 20 years old.