Vandals set green's historic tree on fire

An ancient hollow oak tree at a Black Country beauty spot was stuffed with newspapers and set alight by vandals.

Firefighters were called to the blazing tree on Tettenhall Green, Wolverhampton, which is believed to be hundreds of years old. Council officers have now filled the trunk with wire meshing to deter vandals.

They are now looking at the possibility of installing a fence around the tree to safeguard it for future generations. Tettenhall councillor Jonathan Yardley said: "The tree has been there for hundreds of years and it is a beautiful feature.

"Tettenhall has this traditional English green and we work so hard to protect it and then this happens. The tree is hollow and whoever was behind the fire stuffed it with newspapers and magazines before setting fire to it. It is so sad."

He added: "Thankfully the council's tree workers have been out to see it and said it is still safe so it doesn't have to be chopped down.

"They have put mesh in it at the moment and there are now talks about the possibility of installing an ornamental fence around it so people can't do anything like this again."

A metal fence was installed around a 300-year-old lime tree on nearby Upper Green, in Tettenhall, nine years ago in a bid to protect it.

Back in May 2008 storms caused a third of the tree's heavy branches to fall down and council bosses were forced to strip away others to keep it balanced.

Wolverhampton City Council spokesman Gurdip Thandi said that council officers had inspected the oak tree on Tettenhall Green following the fire at 9.30pm on Thursday night.

He said the tree was still safe despite the fire and that wire meshing had been used as an "interim measure" to protect it.

By Victoria Nash