WORK to fell an ancient holm oak tree in Wellington contributed to town centre traffic chaos on Friday (May 10).

Emergency approval was given for felling the oak tree, said to be several hundreds of years old, because of a vertical split which had developed in its main trunk reaching as high as the lower branches.

An inspection of the tree, which stood next to Wellington Medical Centre, in Mantle Street, also revealed decay in the trunk and some bracket fungi, which causes heartwood decay.

It was feared to be in imminent danger of falling on to a nearby bungalow or across the road.

A Somerset Council spokesperson said new trees would be planted on the site to ‘replace this unfortunate loss to the street scene’.

Mantle Street was closed to traffic as teams from Arboricare, based just outside Wellington at New Rendy Farm, Oake, began the felling operation on Friday morning.

The road closure forced buses and National Express coaches to detour along Wellington Relief Road and through South Street to reach the town centre.

A Woodland Trust spokesperson said holm oaks were introduced to Britain in the late 1500s and can grow to 65 feet in height. They produce smaller acorns than those of native oaks.

At the same time, Longforth Road, in Wellington, was closed until mid-afternoon on Friday while telecoms firm Openreach replaced a pole at the entrance to Church Fields, next to the petrol filling station, resulting in long queues of traffic in North Street.