A WARNING has been issued as a “dreaded” tree disease has reached a Peeblesshire forest on the eve of a major biking event.

Cyclists across the area were alerted earlier this week that the disease, named P Ramorum, had reached Traquair Forest in Innerleithen.

The disease has struck just days before this weekend’s Whyte King and Queen of the Hill event, which is due to take place at the forest.

The competition, dubbed as as one of the most popular UK Enduro events of the year, is the last in the Triple Crown Series, hosted by events company Tweedlove.

A post on social media by Tweedlove urged bikers who are racing this weekend to do what they can to stop the disease from spreading.

It read: “We’ve heard from Forest Enterprise Scotland that P Ramorum – the major tree disease we’ve all been dreading – has now reached Innerleithen’s Traquair forest.

“It likely means that a lot of trees will come down (which may have impact on trails – as yet unclear) but the big thing for right now is that we need to stop this disease going any further.

“We can’t stress how important this is – so please do these few simple things to help.

“Before coming to the forest, make sure your bike, shoes and kit are all clean. If anyone has a dog, make sure it’s clean too!

“Specific info has been emailed to everyone who’s racing this weekend about bike washing etc. Free bike washing is being made available.”

According to Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES), P Ramorum is a disease which is found on shrubs and trees – it is mainly affecting larch trees on the national forest estate and private woodlands. Ultimately, any trees which are infected are highly likely to die over ensuing months or years.

A FES spokesman told us: “It is a disease which has been around for many years in Scotland and one that we can’t fully eradicate. However, we can take preventative measures to slow its spread and this involves felling the infected trees and those surrounding them.

“We have found the disease in a couple of parts of Traquair Forest and we are working on a plan to tackle the problem. Our aim will be to keep any disruption to a minimum but our work will involve felling as this is required on a statutory basis. We plan to keep everyone informed as soon once we have finalised our plans.

“In the meantime, we advise all our visitors to the forest to follow our Keep it Clean campaign and clean their bikes, shoes and kit before they arrive at the forest as this helps slow the spread of the disease.”

For more information and advice, visit: https://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/keep-it-clean