WIRRAL council is setting up a dating agency for trees in a bid to tackle the climate emergency.

The authority wants to double the borough's tree cover over the next decade.

Cllr Liz Grey, the cabinet member for the environment, said helping people grow trees themselves is key to this.

Speaking about the project, she said: "It's going to be a kind of dating agency, matching people who want to plant trees [with] the right locations and the trees themselves.

"We are already receiving lots of offers and ideas for planting. People really want to take part in this!"

The novel idea could help increase community involvement in tree planting, a vital part of addressing the climate emergency.

This idea comes after the council succeeded in getting £300,000 of government funding to plant trees in the borough.

The money from the Urban Tree Challenge Fund will be met with £300,000 of the council’s own money, if voted through by councillors next month.

This will support the planting of 1,700 new trees in around 50 different urban locations in the borough from November 2020 to February 2021.

Cllr Grey added: "Increasing our tree canopy is vital as we tackle this climate emergency and is a commitment we are making as we finalise our comprehensive 10-year Wirral Tree Strategy.

"Trees help to reduce air pollution and move us closer to achieving a net-zero emissions target by 2050. But for our local communities they mean so much more.

"They add to the beauty of an area and improve the quality of life for people living in that area."

Mill Park Drive in Eastham and Home Farm Road in Woodchurch, both residential areas lined with extensive grass verges, are set to get 40 new trees as part of the programme.

Much of this phase of planting will be focused around Wallasey, given the project’s urban focus.

More specific sites will be revealed at a later date.

The council argues planting trees will make the borough a more attractive place to invest.

The Wirral programme, part of the wider Mersey Forest project, aims to encourage walking and cycling – both of which can improve people’s physical and mental wellbeing.

The programme also aims to compensate for the loss of trees due to disease, another problem associated with climate change.

In recent years the problem of tree disease has increased as temperatures have risen. Many diseases are brought into the country by imported trees.

Cllr Grey said Wirral Council is working with voluntary groups such as Wirral Tree Wardens and has taken on extra staff in the environment team to combat the problem.