THE beloved pink-blossomed almond tree which brightened Oxford High Street for decades has been cut down due to safety reasons.
The tree had already lost one of its two main branches during the summer heatwave, when a member of staff at The University Church of Saint Mary the Virgin suggested soaring temperatures may have weakened it.
READ AGAIN: Almond tree may have been hit by heatwave or passing bus
Now the 'beloved' specimen was completely removed yesterday after it was deemed 'no longer safe.
Responding to bypassers who noticed the missing tree, the church tweeted last night: "We can confirm that following lengthy consultation with University Parks and after thorough consultation with Oxford City Council we had no option but to remove our beloved almond tree.
"It was no longer safe."
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Pic: Jon Lewis
The tree has been photographed by tourists from around the world because of its pink blossom.
Fire crews were called out last year when the tree's branch fell, and although they could not save what had already been lost, it was thought their efforts had prevented further damage to the tree or church.
- Have you photographed the tree during blossom season? Send us your photos here
Now the remaining part of the tree has gone and the stump fenced off.
Admirers of the tree's blossom have already expressed their dismay at its disappearance.
Oxford Council you have broken my heart. The best tree in all of Oxford cruelly slain pic.twitter.com/XklQ1hmM0t
— Isabella Pitman (@IsabellaFPitman) January 23, 2019
The tree outside the @SMVOxford has been cut down completely. It was always the first harbinger of spring, littering the street with its pink petals, and I will miss it this year.
— Liisa Agren (@liisa_agren) January 24, 2019
Oxford primary school teacher Ed Finch tweeted: "That is such a tragedy. It was a beautiful tree and a perfectly spaced punctuation mark in the curve of the high street."
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