450-Year-Old Oak Tree Cut Down On Health And Safety Grounds In North London | World News

And a 450-year-old oak tree was cut down over health and safety concerns in North London. With a girth of six metres, this tree was a nationally significant oak listed on the Woodland Trust's Ancient Tree Inventory. Following the fall of the ancient tree, a British restaurant chain has been heavily criticised for cutting it down at one of its sites on safety grounds. Local council workers found the remains of the six-metre-wide oak trunk and its branches on the 3rd of April at a park in Onfield, London. The matter was referred to the police by the council, who said that they were treating it as a case of criminal damage. However, police have now confirmed that there is no evidence of criminality and that the investigation has now been closed. The tree had previously stood by the car park of a Toby Carvery restaurant in North London, which claimed it was a risk to customers. However, tree specialist John Stokes said risk was minimal and called for ancient trees to be granted legal protection in the UK. Just initially incredibly sad that a tree of such importance, a tree that's 450 years old, a tree that started growing, you know, a long time ago, had just been felled in this sort of manner.