THE National Trust is suing Korean Airlines for damages following the Great Hallingbury Korean Airlines cargo plane crash almost six years ago.

The organisation has not disclosed the amount being sought, but one media report has put the figure at £300,000.

All four crew members were killed when the Boeing 747 cargo plane came down on the edge of Hatfield Forest shortly after taking off from Stansted Airport on December 22, 1999.

The plane came down near Great Hallingbury having narrowly missed the nearby M11.

The disaster and "extensive damage" caused to the forest led to the closure of Hatfield Forest for several weeks, the National Trust said.

The forest was closed until February 2000 as investigations were carried out and debris from the plane was removed. The wreckage included depleted uranium which was in the tail of the plane.

A writ seeking the damages has been filed in the High Court, the National Trust said this week.

Katy Stephenson, spokesman for the National Trust in East Anglia, said the writ had been issued by the organisation's solicitors.

She said: "We understand that a writ has been issued on our behalf via our solicitors against Korean Airlines."

It is understood that the writ is seeking damages including revenue losses, fencing costs and inspection and monitoring of trees and fauna in the woodland.

Several fires broke out following the crash, which left a large crater in a field bordering the forest close to homes.