Plans to plant 50 million trees to create a huge Northern Forest, spanning from Manchester to Hull, are well underway.

Northern leaders, including MPs and both Metro Mayors, want the Prime Minister to get behind the project that has already seen 600,000 trees planted.

The Northern Forest is set to span 120 miles and connect Liverpool, Manchester and Lancaster to the West with Sheffield, Leeds and Hull to the East.

With the backing of 120 Northern leaders, including Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham, the Woodland Trust will plant the rest of the trees over the next 25 years.

Now, those leaders have written to Boris Johnson, inviting him to come to the North, give his full support to the project and plant a tree or two himself.

The forest would benefit 13 million residents and could potentially generate £2.5 billion for the regional economy.

Sir Graham Brady, MP for Altrincham and Sale West, said: "I’m proud to be associated with this exciting project: The Northern Forest is an initiative of international significance.

"We will see millions of new trees planted, bringing economic and environmental benefits for our region. I am delighted at the ambition of these plans."

(Image: Sir Graham Brady)

Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, said, “We all have a part to play to tackle the Climate Emergency and commit to reforestation on a massive scale as part of the solution.

“Planting a tree is a small step which can benefit our community, while the Northern Forest would benefit our whole region. I will continue to do all I can to call on the government to save our planet form the climate crisis.”

Darren Moorcroft, chief executive officer of the Woodland Trust, added: "The Northern Forest represents the green lungs of the Northern Powerhouse. This pioneering project will deliver millions of new trees planted, and billions of pounds worth of economic, social and environmental benefits to the region.

"If we are to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises the world faces, internationally significant projects like the Northern Forest must be at the forefront of bold, ambitious domestic thinking."

Currently, only 7.6 per cent of the North of England is covered by woodland, considerably lower than the national average of 10 per cent.