Hadrian's Wall damaged in attack on Sycamore Gap, say investigators

05 October 2023 , 09:47

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A fence has been erected around the tree at Sycamore Gap in Northumberland (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

The attack on the Sycamore Gap tree has also caused damage to Hadrian's Wall, investigators have found, as a probe continues into whether there is grounds for further charges.

The 300-year-old tree near Hexham, Northumberland, was cut down last week in a suspected act of vandalism. Police have since arrested and bailed a local former lumberjack and a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of criminal damage.

Crime specialists sent to the scene by Historic England have been analysing the site, with early signs of "minor damage" caused to the wall - a 73-mile Roman construction which once marked the then-border between England and Scotland. The investigation is in its early stages, the heritage group told The Times, and would continue.

Forensic investigators studied the tree for any clues earlier this week (PA)

A spokeswoman for Historic England said: “We appreciate how strongly people feel about the loss of the tree, and its impact on this special historic landscape, and will continue to work closely with others as this progresses.” The Mirror contacted Historic England for further comment.

The toppled tree meanwhile has yet to be removed from the site. Its felling provoked outrage across the country on Thursday. Several pilgrimages have already been made to the ancient site.

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Former lumberjack Walter Renwick was arrested on Friday last week on suspicion of criminal damage. He denies all allegations. Police searched his Plankey Mill farm in Northumberland, a property eight miles from the historic tree, where a chainsaw was seen being removed from an outbuilding in an evidence bag.

Hundreds have been making pilgrimages to the site (Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)

The 300-year-old tree was thought to have been the most photographed in Britain (Siobhan McNally)

Renwick, 69, has since told The Sun that a form of DNA in trees' sawdust could be used to track the culprit. “Trees have their own DNA and you can use the dust to track down which tree was felled, so it’ll be easy to find who did it," he said.

"It was the perfect night to do it. There was a full moon so it would have been well lit and the wind would have meant there was barely any sound." It's understood the sycamore tree was toppled overnight between Wednesday and Thursday.

The crime is also being probed by the recently-formed National Rural Crime Unit. Superintendent Andy Huddlestone said: “The lack of witnesses and CCTV is also a challenge when dealing with rural crime, which can make it much harder to investigate than urban crime,” he said. “I have every confidence though that Northumbria Police will find the culprit of this callous crime.”

Susie Beever