The most popular, the Nordmann fir, is likely to be more expensive than in previous years, growers are warning.

About 8.5 million trees are sold in this country every Christmas, of which half are Nordmann firs.

Imports of the popular tree, which is grown in Denmark, have dropped because a ruling by the European Union to scrap subsidies has put many growers out of business.

"Last year the Danes had reduced the numbers of Nordmanns (Abies nordmanniana) they were sending, although a number of big wholesalers and garden centres had long-term contracts which meant they were still coming in in quantity," says Roger Hay, secretary of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association.

"We grow them increasingly over here but they take about 10 years to grow to a saleable size.

"As a result some of the other trees have come into the frame to replace them at Christmas, such as Scots pine or Lodgepole pine.

They are super trees and the best holders of needles."

But one of Northamptonshire's biggest suppliers,William Miles, reassured customers they should still be able to get the tree of their choice.

Mr Miles, who runs a Christmas tree farm of 12,000 trees in Welford, told the Chron last month: "The subsidies have caused a problem for growers in the continent, which means a lot of them have put their wholesale price up by 10 or 15 per cent.

"That will have a knock-on effect here, but I want people to know that I won't be putting my prices up, even though I might end up paying more for the wholesale product.

I don't want anyone to panic, because people should still be able to get the tree they want, as long as they don't leave it too late."

Mr Miles, who has planted about 5,000 Nordmann firs this year, added:"We will be forced to buy some in this year, but they will be the locally-produced varieties, not necessarily the Nordmann."

The secret of choosing the right tree is its size.

Many people buy a tree too big for their house. You need a tree 2ft shorter than your room height to allow for a stand and the fairy or star on the top.

The BCTGA website lists growers nationwide, county by county.