STRUGGLING native plant species will soon be feeling the benefits of a £1.7million grant to tackle invasive rhododendron growth.

The cash comes from Natural England for a ten year habitat restoration project in Epping Forest aiming to prevent natural grasses, shrubs and woodland flowers being drowned out by the exotic foreign plant.

Species on Wanstead Flats such as native bluebells, wooden enemy and wild service are set to benefit from the scheme that would involve controlling the spread of rhododendron which can obliterate less hardy competitors.

Epping Forest Superintendent Jeremy Dagley said: "It's fantastic and really is fabulous news.

"There are two concerns, one is that they are growing in areas that would otherwise support trees and more interesting native species of flora.

"Sometimes they can take out ground flora by surrounding them and out-competing them.

"The second problem is Sudden Oak Death which can affect oak trees but more often beech trees in this country and rhododendrons can be a carrier of this particular sort of blight."

Rhododendron ponticum is one of the most extensively cultivated rhododendrons in western Europe.

The plants were first grown in Britain in the 1760s and became widely distributed through the commercial nursery trade in subsequent centuries.

The roots readily send up suckers from below the graft, often allowing it to overtake the intended grafted rhododendron.

This, together with its abundant seed production, has led to it becoming an invasive species over much of western Europe and New Zealand.

But Supt Dagley said that people who may come across rhododendron plants in the wild should not try tackling the issue themselves.

He added: "We would not advise that people rip out plants as if they are infected that could spread the problem.

"We monitor rhododendron growth and also remove it to make more open to people walking through Epping Forest and collect samples which we send off for testing to the Central Science Laboratory in York.

"With this new money we hope to manage the forest and keep more habitats in great condition."