Sycamore Gap: A historic moment as felled tree is removed from site

• Watch Gregg Easteal's report

The felled Sycamore Gap tree has been removed from from Hadrian’s Wall, in what has been described as the "end of an era".

Two weeks ago the tree was felled in what police called an act of vandalism.

Northumbria Police arrested a 16-year-old boy and a man in his 60s after the tree was felled a fortnight ago. They have been released on bail pending further inquiries.

The much-loved tree, which is believed to have dated back to medieval times, had to be removed to protect the world heritage site from further damage.

The 50-foot sycamore tree had stood above the Roman wall, close to the village of Once Brewed for nearly 300 years.

As it was too large to be removed in one piece, the trunk was separated into large sections to preserve the tree's carcass as much as possible.

An onlooker from the Borders told ITV: “It’s a moment in history. A sad moment in history.

"It’s still hard to believe it’s even happened and that somebody could have done this.”

There will be a public consultation about what happens next at the site, which has Unesco designation and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument but is not yet known what will be done with the remains of the tree in the future.

The stump, which could generate new shoots, will be kept in place and is currently behind a protective barrier.

Seeds have been collected which the National Trust said could be used to propagate new saplings.

The tree will now be placed in storage at a National Trust property – the location of which is not being disclosed for security reasons.

The National Trust revealed a crane would be used to remove the fallen tree in a social media post on Wednesday 11 October.

The much-photographed and painted lone sycamore said to be one of the most famous trees in the world and an emblem for the North East of England, was situated in a dramatic dip in the Northumberland landscape.

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