YOU have to be in the know to realise there are more than seven official oaks in the town.

There are in fact 21 – eight on the Vine itself, five over the road by The Vine Restaurant, and eight in Tonbridge Road near the White Hart.

And a new set is to be planted over the next seven years, bringing the total to 28.

Even Sevenoaks town councillors were stumped when it came to exactly how many official oaks there were when the question arose at a meeting.

It was Cllr John London who shed light on the matter and outlined their locations.

One might have thought the decision to plant more was a foregone conclusion – this is, after all, a town that loves oaks like no other.

But Cllr Merilyn Canet argued we already have enough, and suggested planting walnuts instead.

Cllr Robert Piper was in favour of planting any kind of native trees regardless of the species.

But Cllr Andrew Eyre's proposal finally won the day and members agreed future mayors should each plant an oak during their year in office.

The exact location of the new trees is still to be decided, but one possibility is the land opposite the former police station in London Road.

"At the moment all the seven oaks are either in the centre of town or the approaches from the south," said current mayor Cllr Ann Dawson.

"It's important we should also have some from the northern approaches."

Cllr Dawson was also mayor when seven oaks were planted on the Vine in 1988 to replace the six wiped out in the 1987 hurricane.

These later had to be replanted after vandals snapped them all in a night of mindless hooliganism.

Today the seven on the Vine are English. The older one in the centre, and only survivor of the hurricane, is a Turkey.

The oaks in Tonbridge Road are believed by Cllr Dawson to be English too, and the five opposite the Vine Restaurant are said to be American.

Cllr Dawson hopes planting will begin this year, so she has the opportunity to get involved again.

"It's good to know we're doing something nice that will be there long after we've gone, hurricanes permitting," she said.