Overnight gales tear 'Dark Hedges' tree out of ground

One of the iconic trees made famous by the fantasy drama Game Of Thrones has been uprooted by strong overnight gales.

One of the beech trees of Dark Hedges in County Antrim has fallen victim to high winds that have battered Northern Ireland.

The province has been hit by an Artic blast bringing strong winds, snow and ice in a chilly end to the month.

The Met Office has issued five weather warnings across the UK for the last weekend of January, with the chance of power cuts and travel disruption.

The spell of "very strong northerly winds" has also affected the eastand west coasts of England, southern Scotland and Wales.

Gusts of up to 60mph swept across Northern Ireland in the early hours of Sunday 27 January.

The Met Office said delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport were likely and that there would be power cuts.

Forecaster Luke Miall said the weekend would be one of "two halves", with Sunday feeling noticeably colder than Saturday.

He said, "We will see quite a blast of strong, northerly winds coming down from the Arctic.

"It's going to be very windy but it's also going to turn much colder."

Game of Thrones fans from all over the world frequently travel to the isolated location to get a picture in front of the haunting backdrop.

The Dark Hedges featured in Season Two of the award-winning TV drama.

The trees were planted along the entrance to the Stuart family's Gracehill House mansion more than 200 years ago.