BROCKENHURST Parish Council faces a huge £5,000 bill to make sure churchyard trees stay safe to walk under.
A recent check-up revealed that several of the oldest oaks in the grounds of St Nicholas' Church need urgent work to make them storm-proof.
Experts reckon some of the 30 large trees in the council-run part of the churchyard may date back several hundred years.
Parish chairman John Korbey said: "We have to take action to prevent the possibility of someone being hurt by a falling branch in the next gale. We need to spend £1,500 soon to make the place safe, and budget for further funding over the next couple of years."
Cllr John Purkess said: "We have had experts to look at the trees and we have had a look ourselves and some branches looked like they might come down if there was a high wind."
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