GARDEN centres, nurseries and landowners in the New Forest have been put on alert in a bid to stop the spread of a deadly plant disease dubbed Sudden Oak Death.

The government is warning businesses that there is a real danger of an outbreak in the Forest after reports of cases in other parts of the south.

A fungus called phytophthora ramorum has already killed ten of thousands of trees in the US.

English oaks are protected by their thick bark and are relatively resistant, but the fungus is killing rhododendrons and other woody plants across Britain.

Now ministers say there is a "significant risk" of the disease spreading to the Forest.

A letter to plant growers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) says: "The similarity in climate and vegetation between the New Forest and the areas in Cornwall and Sussex, where infected trees have been found, suggests there may be a significant risk."

Any area hit by a major outbreak would have to create "disease management zones" similar to those used during the foot-and-mouth crisis.

DEFRA officials will hold a meeting in Lyndhurst on April 26 and issue advice on how to control the fungus.

Rhododendrons are among the plants that are thought to be most at risk.

Exbury Gardens, near Beaulieu, has a world-famous collection of rhododendrons, making it especially vulnerable to the disease.

As reported in the Daily Echo, phytophthora ramorum was discovered at Exbury last year and successfully dealt with.

About 14 other cases have been found in nursery stock elsewhere in Hampshire.

At each site all the plants affected were destroyed as well as those susceptible to the disease.

The Forestry Commission is carrying out intensive inspections of woodland across Britain, including the New Forest.