Alley closed after huge tree falls on listed wall

An alleyway was closed off to the public after a huge tree fell on a historical wall in a Norfolk town prompting "massive safety concerns".

Storm Darragh winds over the weekend caused a tree to crash down onto a walkthrough off Littlefields in Dereham.

Images showed its large trunk resting on a Grade II-listed wall located in Wakes Lane alley, to the south of Guildhall Gardens.

Bosses at Norfolk County Council said they had "visited the scene and made it safe".

Resident Michelle Baker said: "When I first saw it I thought 'that's a big tree'.

"A lot of people use that alley, especially elderly people and school children and it is near the care home - it is a massive safety concern."

The tree came towering down during a weekend of many weather-related incidents across both the county and the UK.

According to the council, its out-of-hours highways team received approximately 200 calls regarding more than 100 trees and multiple cases of flooding.

The Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service also attended multiple incidents including unsafe structures caused by roof damage and dangerous power cables.

Graham Plant, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and waste said: "Despite the harsh weather conditions our teams were fully resourced and prepared.

"We had 15 crews working round the clock dealing with the consequences of the storm.

"It's at times like this we realise just how important our out of hours highways service in keeping residents safe when travelling across the county."

Bosses at Breckland Council, which owns the land near to where the tree came down, said it was aware of the situation.

"We are aware that the tree has come down in Dereham," its spokesperson said.

"The pathway has been closed by Norfolk County Council for safety reasons and we're currently speaking with our partners to ascertain next steps."

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