FORESTRY workers are continuing to deal with major damage caused by dangerous windblown trees in woodlands across the region as part of the fallout from Storm Arwen.

Hamsterley Forest, near Bishop Auckland, has reopened today with people able to visit the café, play areas, and Christmas tree sales.

But a number of mountain bike and walking trails will be closed for at least another week.

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A spokesperson for Forestry England said: “We are encouraging people to stay on the main waymarked trails as there are likely to be dangerous windblown trees in the forest crop itself, which will take time to deal with.”

At Chopwell Wood, over the County Durham border into Gateshead, the walking, cycling and running trails are expected to remain closed for at least another week.

The spokesperson said: “There are some major areas of damage, and dangerous/unstable trees which have affected trails through the forest.

“We need time to bring machinery into these areas, which will take some time.

“However, the main car park area is clear and the Friends of Chopwell Wood are selling Christmas trees in the main car park.

“We’re keeping the webpages and social media channels for both these sites up to date with the latest information.”

The Northern Echo understand it will take longer at Kielder Forest and Water Park to carry out assessments and make decisions about reopening.

The forest will remain entirely closed this weekend.

The spokesperson said: “Depending on progress we may look at reopening the observatory but still need to do assessments of the damage along the lakeside.”

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