HADRIAN’S WALL TREE FELLED ILLEGALLY

A 16-year-old and a 60-year-old have been arrested for deliberately felling a famous 200-year-old tree located on the historic UNESCO World Heritage listed Hadrian’s Wall in England.

The sycamore tree was located in the Northumberland National Park in the northern part of the country. The exact location is called the Sycamore Gap and is one of the most photographed trees in England.

It’s believed the act of vandalism took place during the night.

The historic UNESCO World Heritage listed Hadrian’s Wall is believed to have been built around 1,900 years ago. The wall was built to guard the furthest northwestern frontier of the Roman Empire.

Andrew Poad, the north east general manager at the National Trust, said the tree was an iconic feature in the local landscape.

“The tree has been an important and iconic feature in the landscape for nearly 200 years and means a lot to the local community and to anyone who has visited the site.”

The tree won English Tree of the Year in 2016 and was made famous to people around the world when it appeared in the 1991 blockbuster film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” starring Kevin Costner.

Visitors to the national park were asked to stay away while the site was being made safe and police conducted their investigation.

Image credit: Sky News