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A horticulturist has warned Brits to look out for signs of a deadly yellow fungus that can cause trees to collapse suddenly.
Japanese knotweed and bamboo infestations may keep homeowners up at night but there is a less known garden scurge that can be just as destructive.
Honey fungus grows at the base of trees and can ‘wreak havoc’ in gardens and destroy property if not spotted soon.
It has been described as the ‘most destructive fungal disease in the UK’ and spreads rapidly underground.
The fungus can attack roots up to 30metres away, infecting and killing them before causing the dead wood to decay.
Guy Barter, chief horticulturist at the Royal Horticulture Society (RHS), told MailOnline: ‘Early warning signs include honey-coloured toadstools in autumn hence the name.
Lauren Gordon’s dog (pictured) almost died after a tree randomly collapsed in the garden
The tree, which is a TPO, had become infected by a deadly mould known as honey fungus
Honey fungus grows at the base of trees and can ‘wreak havoc’ in gardens and destroy property if not spotted soon
‘The infection is gradual typically with part of the tree dying first, followed by the rest of plant.
‘In summer affected plants succumb quite quickly over a week or two.’
The only way to remove honey fungus is by burning the infected root or taking it to a landfill.
Key symptoms of the fungus are cracking bark, an absence of flowers and more specifically, small mushrooms growing around the base of a tree.
The honey-coloured mushrooms grow in clumps and can also pop up around your garden if the rhizomorphs (the fungus’ root) has spread underground.
It comes after a family escaped disaster by ‘inches’ when undetected honey fungus sent a giant tree in their backgarden flying.
Lauren Gordon, 49, was letting her dog out in their backgarden in Herfordshire when she heard a massive bang and a squeal from the miniature cavachon.
She said: ‘My daughter thought she heard a gun going off.
Honey fungus spreads rapidly underground and can attack roots up to 30metres away, infecting and killing the roots of plants before causing the dead wood to decay
Honey fungus has the power to ‘wreak havoc’ on gardens, having been described as the ‘most destructive fungal disease in the UK’
Honey fungus has been described as the ‘most destructive fungal disease in the UK’ and spreads rapidly underground
‘Everyone was completely bewildered and because it was very dark we couldn’t see where it landed but it missed the back of the kitchen by inches.
‘It wasn’t even wobbling around it just fell and all the roots had come out of the ground.’
Ms Gordon said she had ‘absolutely no idea’ there was anything wrong with the tree.
‘We had a few tree surgeons over and apparently honey fungus has been growing in the garden for 10 years,’ she explained.
‘It runs underground so now we’re concerned for all the other trees in the area.’
She is now worried about what this means for the other trees in the area.
Ms Gordon said: ‘It’s costing a lot to get it removed it’s going to take days to remove it.
‘We’re very lucky it would have been awful if it squashed the dog or hit the kids.’
But with the increasingly hot weather honey fungus could be on the rise across the UK because it is generally found in hot and dry conditions.
So before letting your pooch roam free in the garden… check for golden toadstools.
