A NEW 500 acre forest is fast becoming a favourite with visitors, even though most of the trees are no more than 18 inches tall.

The new Dunnockshaw community woodland on United Utilities land on the outskirts of Burnley, is the biggest area of new woodland planted in England for 30 years.

All 330,000 trees have been planted and all the paths, roadways and picnic areas would also have been finished if work had not been delayed by the foot and mouth crisis.

"We will never really be able to say it is finished, it will continue to grow and develop for very many years," said United Utilities woodland manager Dave Blount, who has been co-ordinating the project.

Even though it will be years before the trees form a true forest, people have already started enjoying the amenity.

"We have seen a steady increase in visitor numbers right from the day the first tree was planted," said Dave, "It will be a long time before it looks like a forest, but that is not stopping people enjoying it already."

Planting of the second part of the scheme covering 155 acres at United Utilities land at Worsthorne is just starting.

About 60 acres of woodland is due to be planted by the end of this month and another 60 completed by this time next year.

The wood area is part of the £3.4 million Burnley Millennium Forest being created in partnership with Burnley Council, Lancashire County Council, the Forestry Commission and local landowners.

The Millennium Commission is funding half of the cost of the whole project with other organisations each paying half of the cost of work on their land. In United Utilities case, £700,000.

Dave added: "As one of the biggest landowners in the North West the company takes its responsibilities very seriously.

"We wanted to so something special to mark the start of the new millennium and to illustrate our commitment to working in a positive way to improve the environment and we believe we have certainly achieved that."