Residents in a village which has become a beacon of green good practice all chipped in to round off Christmas.

An environmental group in Colerne staged a Christmas tree chipping event in an attempt to enhance community spirit and help the environment.

Scores of trees were taken from homes in the Wiltshire village to the car park of the Fox and Hounds pub.

The compost produced is to be spread on a local farm as fertiliser.

The village has embarked on a host of several green-friendly community initiatives under a project called Ecolerne.

Project spokesman and parish councillor Phil Chamberlain said: "We have organised similar events just after the new year for the past two years. Ecolerne volunteers have collected and chipped around 300 trees in that time. This has saved hundreds of car trips to the nearest household recycling centre.

"It has become a real community event and we were delighted to be able to offer this free service again. We would like to thank all the people who helped make this possible."

The group is hoping to set up a car-sharing scheme after the loss of a bus service last year and has put a diary on which villagers can post details of their journeys on the website www.ecolerne.org.

The group has also persuaded recycling firm Hills to site a plastics and cardboard recycling container at the village recreation ground for a trial period.

The aim of its activities is to encourage composting, energy efficiency and green transport.