100-year-old tree is chopped down

Council officers are currently checking CCTV evidence

A 100-year-old evergreen oak tree sited on an historic promenade in Kent has been cut down illegally.

The 50ft (15.2m) oak was one of the largest trees at the Leas escarpment in Folkestone and had been in a conservation area.

The tree was the property of Shepway District Council, and police are treating the attack as criminal damage.

A spokesman for the council said someone may have used a chainsaw to deliberately chop it down.

"It looks as if a chainsaw has been used, so this is not casual vandalism, it has been planned, and someone must have seen or heard it happening," he said.

"The trees are vital to the stability of the Leas. Their root systems help stabilise the bank and their leaves dissipate rainwater stopping it hitting the bank directly," he added.

Council officers are currently checking CCTV evidence and have asked for anyone with any information to contact them.