VILLAGERS in Embsay are hoping it will be third time lucky when they get their new elm tree.

Tree surgeons removed the existing Chinese elm on Wednesday after a huge split had developed along the trunk - leaving it precariously poised to come crashing down.

Swathed in safety ropes and harnesses, they brought it down one branch at a time outside the Elm Tree public house.

The Chinese elm was planted in 1987 to replace the original elm tree, which had stood since 1867 until it was lost to Dutch elm disease.

It was hoped the Chinese elm would fare better, but it proved too brittle.

Jonathan Strange, of Tree Tops Forestry Company, said: "It's what we would class as dangerous. It shouldn't have been left this long. It will never be right so we just have to start again."

He added that the tree, which was native to China and Japan, was just getting established.

Mr Strange added: "It's a shame but everything has conspired against it.

"It's partly due to the weight of the branches pulling the trunk apart, partly due to the wind and also to heavy goods wagons clipping the lower branches."

One option considered to save the tree was to fix a permanent brace around the trunk. But the experts decided that too much damage had already occurred.

After the tree was planted in 1987, Embsay Parish Council agreed to fund its maintenance for five years.

However, when that period ended, branches were left unchecked and grew too weighty.

Mr Strange added: "It should have been looked at when it was younger and growing over the road."

Further damage was done to the tree by decorative Christmas lights, which had been left in place. Wires securing them strangled the brittle branches causing deep cuts.

Electrical engineers previously tried to remove the lights but were forced to stop because of safety concerns.

Embsay Parish Council is liaising with Tree Tops to find a suitable replacement.

But they face a race against time as the planting season ends in early April. If no tree is found, they will have to wait until the next planting season in October.