Calls for high speed rail route to be changed to save champion tree

Campaigners are calling for a proposed high-speed rail route to be modified so it bypasses what is believed to be Britain's biggest wild pear tree. The tree – which has been awarded "national champion" status by charity the Tree Register – stands on the proposed route of the HS2 link between London and the West Midlands. Steven Falk, who assessed the tree for the Tree Register, said it could be up to 250 years old. He added: "Wild pears are very rare. The tree is slap bang in the middle of the proposed route. There is no way it would survive it was moved." The tree, which is nine metres (29.5ft) high and has a circumference of almost four metres, stands on the edge of a field in Cubbington, near Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. Members of the Cubbington Action Group against HS2 want the route re-thought. Rosemary Guiot, who helps run the organisation, said: "Everyone locally knows the tree – it's so spectacular when it's full of blossom." Peter Delow, a retired electrical engineer who lives close to the proposed route, said: "It would be an absolute travesty if the tree is chopped down for a rail line. "This is not nimbyism. It is about protecting a vital piece of heritage which has survived more than two centuries. We will use this information about the pear tree as evidence that the rail line should not be built here." The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) expressed concern at the possibility of the train line "blasting through" the area. John Wharam, branch development manager for the CPRE in Warwickshire, said: "Is cutting the time of a journey to London by 15 minutes really worth it? "We are opposed to having a train blasting through the countryside and through sensitive environmental areas." Consultation on the route is due to begin next month.