Si King, star of Hairy Bikers, has expressed his fury over the’murder’ of the historic Sycamore Gap tree.
The world-famous tree, which appeared in the 1991 film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, is thought to have been deliberately destroyed overnight after being discovered toppled this morning.
The terrible occurrence has generated wrath in Si, who resorted to Instagram to voice his rage after the tree, considered to be several hundred years old, was ‘murdered by vandals’.
He began: ‘Hello everyone, I’ve just been made aware that we’ve lost the Sycamore at Sycamore Gap.
‘Somebody has felled it apparently.’
The 56-year-old TV chef went on: ‘Well I hope whoever has done that has a conscience, because you’ve just murdered a sentinel of time and elemental spirit of Northumberland, and I hope you feel really good about yourself.
‘For whatever warped reason you’ve done it, it’s shocking.’
Si, from Kibblesworth, a town about an hour outside of Northumberland, was mute for a minute as he appeared distraught.
Shaking his head, he concluded: ‘I’m beyond words.’
‘Sycamore Gap tree of some 300 years murdered by vandals,’ Si wrote in the caption, as many of his followers agreed with his fury.
After the tree was discovered down this morning, police are now investigating if a criminal act occurred.
The Northumberland National Park Authority said: ‘(We) can confirm that sadly, the famous tree at Sycamore Gap has come down over night. We have reason to believe it has been deliberately felled.
‘We are working with the relevant agencies and partners with an interest in this iconic North East landmark and will issue more details once they are known.’
People have been asked to avoid the site while the national park authority works with partners ‘to identify what happened and make the site safe.’
