BEECHENHURST may be the heart of a big forest but its Christmas trees were snowed in 400 miles away.

From 10am today, staff from Motiva at Beechenhurst Lodge will finally be able to sell a full range of trees.

More than 100 customers turned up at the start of the annual festive sale last weekend, to find there were only 50 trees available. All had sold out by Sunday.

The rest of the order was stuck north of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, at the Forestry Commission plantations.

Motiva staff at Beechenhurst Lodge were due to start selling trees at 10am today. A delivery of traditional Norway spruces and nordmann firs had arrived, and a stack of lodgepole pines were due any time from Northern Ireland.

"It's been a long time since Christmas trees were grown by the Forestry Commission in the Forest of Dean," said Motiva managing director Matthew Ralphs. "Nowadays, to ensure quality and consistency, their growth is centralised. Each of the 15 Forestry franchises across the country gets them from Scotland, and lodgepole pines are grown in Northern Ireland. Ironically, they have been delayed by snow."

Mr Ralphs said he believed most of the Forestry's sales countrywide have had to start late. Motiva managed to get 50 trees from Westonbirt Arboretum, which had been delivered early, a day before the snows fell on the eastern half of Britain.

Due to a limited range, more than half of 110 Beechenhurst customers last weekend left treeless, as there was a limited range of types and sizes. Prices range from £12 for the smallest Norway spruce to £40 for a large nordmann fir, a modern favourite because their needles don't drop as easily. However, spruces can hold on to their needles better if kept away from heat sources.