A large oak tree fell down on the car park side of Quayside in Kingsbridge in the early hours of Saturday morning (June 17).

It’s thought that it fell because of the dried out and crumbly soil. Nobody was hurt in the incident.

Tree surgeons managed to saw up the tree and clear it away on Monday June 19.

Kingsbridge Skatepark provided the following explanation on Facebook: “This particular tree suffered from water ingress. It’s likely it made its way in through an old limb scar that has likely been nested in, causing a pool to form within. The dry weather has then caused a cavity within thus weakening the structure of the trunk.

“This is a professional opinion by the team working on the tree, not ours.”

“In our recent consultation we proposed removing some of the poplar trees to the left of the park as you look at the bank.

“An independent tree assessment was conducted noting one of them was in very poor health and required felling. Consequently other unhealthy poplars in close proximity needed to be removed as their structural integrity would be compromised by this action. No oaks where ever proposed, thus protecting the old rookery nests.

“Poplars are not a suitable species for the bank - they have outgrown their position and overhang the skatepark causing a health and safety issue. This work would have needed to be done regardless of the expansion. Our planting scheme replaces those earmarked for felling with a more suitable species resulting in a net gain of three trees.

“Today’s incident shows that these trees need managing, not only for public safety but also to help other trees flourish. Its likely the oak next to the fallen tree will need to be removed because of the loss today.”