RESIDENTS are invited to support to a community planting day to prop up a Weymouth beauty spot.

An event is planned this Saturday at the Rodwell Trail between 10am-12pm. It will be cancelled if wet.

Planting trees along a cleared embankment near Castle Cove Sailing Club will help to stabilise the area, the council says.

The trail has been affected by land movement, most recently in December 2012 when a 75m length of the embankment, which supports the Rodwell Trail on Old Castle Road, started to show signs of instability.

It has led to Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to work in partnership with Dorset County Council and the sailing club to come up with a suitable stabilisation scheme.

Head of Open Spaces & Bereavement Services at the council Carl Dallison said: “The Parks team has cleared all the vegetation and scrub from the site, contractors are re-profiling and re-grading the bank and, to complete the project, we are planting over 150 suitable tree species, which will assist in removing water from the soil and will provide a root network to increase stability.

“In order to do this, we are asking the local community to get involved and pop along to the Trail this Saturday to help us plant the trees.

“If you have some spare time then meet us at Castle Cove Sailing Club on Old Castle Road at 10am. We will have spades available but if you could bring your own that would be even better.”

Chairman of Friends of Rodwell Trail & Sandsfoot Gardens David carter said: “Ground movement along the Trail has made the lower footpath unusable and caused the sailing club boundary fence to distort. This movement has not caused the trail to be closed but there is a concern that it may cause problems in the future so the stabilisation works are imperative.”

He added: "The Friends fully support the work that the borough council is undertaking and we will be there with our spades to help plant the trees. We also hope that others from the community will be there too, as more hands makes for lighter work.”