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00:00 A fixture on Hadrian's Wall for two centuries, the tree of Sycamore Gap was felled on Wednesday
00:07 night in what is being described as an act of vandalism. A 16-year-old suspect is in
00:12 custody for criminal damage and said to be cooperating with the investigation.
00:17 Well behind me we see a really sad sight actually. It's the felled sycamore from this iconic
00:25 landmark Sycamore Gap which sits here in the centre of Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site.
00:32 Someone, a person or persons have come in and they have deliberately felled this tree.
00:37 Built by Emperor Hadrian to protect his northern border from the peoples of Caledonia, now
00:41 called Scotland, the wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in a national park.
00:47 The news has inspired heartfelt expressions of anger and sorrow on social media and tributes
00:52 in the press. And the popular outdoor destination won't be the same without the beloved tree.
00:58 It's quite upsetting that a lot of people have probably got a lot of joy from it and
01:03 pictures and taking pictures of it. It's such a shame that somebody has come and vandalised
01:10 a beautiful part of the countryside.
01:14 As well as winning England's tree of the year in 2016, Sycamore Gap rose to international
01:19 fame in 1991 when it became the setting of an exchange between Kevin Cosner and Morgan
01:24 Freeman in a Hollywood adaptation of Robin Hood.
01:31 The investigation continues and the National Park Authorities have asked the public not
01:40 to visit the site of the felled tree.