Published September 28,2023
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A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday after one in all Britain‘s most photographed bushes was discovered felled subsequent to the Hadrian’s Wall UNESCO World Heritage website in northeast England, prompting outrage and grief.
The Sycamore Gap tree, which has stood for greater than 200 years within the Northumberland National Park, was discovered fallen after in a single day storms.
Its stump was seen with white paint marks and appeared cleanly minimize, as if by a chainsaw, AFP reporters on the scene mentioned.
The crown of the tree lay partly on the traditional Roman fortification, which stretches 73 miles (118 kilometres) from coast to coast.
The sycamore grew to become internationally well-known when it was used for a scene within the 1991 blockbuster movie “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, starring Kevin Costner.
Northumbria Police, which is probing the incident, mentioned that {the teenager} was arrested on suspicion of inflicting legal injury.
Superintendent Kevin Waring mentioned “the events of today have caused significant shock, sadness and anger throughout the local community and beyond”.
“Given our investigation remains at a very early stage, we are keeping an open mind,” he added.
The sycamore, which gained the Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year in 2016, is a key attraction that has been photographed by hundreds of thousands of holiday makers over time.
‘DELIBERATELY FELLED’
Tony Gates, chief government of the Northumberland National Park Authority which manages the encircling countryside, mentioned it appeared the tree had been “deliberately felled”.
“It’s really sad that someone has taken it upon themselves to do what is really a terrible act of vandalism,” he advised AFP on the scene.
“We’re not able at this stage to speculate on (by) who, or why this has taken place.”
Gates mentioned he and volunteers on the nationwide park felt “a real sense of loss” and that many individuals had been in tears on the news, which prompted a flood of social media messages expressing shock.
“This will have meant a lot to people. People will have been proposed to here, they will have held significant family occasions here,” he added. “Some people may have scattered the ashes of loved ones here. For someone to feel that they can do this to such a site, I just find really hard to comprehend.”
Hadrian’s Wall is a world landmark. Begun in 122 AD through the reign of emperor Hadrian, it marked the boundary between Roman Britannia and unconquered Caledonia to the north.
Thousands of troopers and lots of of their households lived alongside the wall, abandoning buildings and gadgets which have given archaeologists a deep perception into Roman life within the windswept northern limits of their empire.
Visitors had been advised to steer clear of the positioning, which was cordoned off with blue and white police tape.
Walkers on the favored cross-country route expressed disbelief on the lack of the photogenic landmark, which had develop into a logo of the area.
“Sycamore Gap was a place of happy and moving memories for millions of people, and a symbol of home for people around the world,” mentioned Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness, calling it a “senseless crime”.
The chief government of the Arboricultural Association, John Parker, advised The Times the outpouring of shock and anger was a reminder of the cultural significance of bushes to individuals.
But Jack Taylor, a campaigner with the Woodland Trust, mentioned many historical species had no authorized safety.
Source: www.anews.com.tr