Collapsed Heysham village tree due to be removed by crane

Winds up to 50 miles per hour caused the beech tree to uproot in the grounds of St Peter’s Church in Main Street on Wednesday, January 11 at around 2pm.

Firefighters attended the scene and cordoned off the entrance to the church grounds, as fears mounted that a second tree could be about to blow over.

The fallen tree caused damage to the roof of St Peter’s Church Hall, which has only recently been renovated.

A spokesman for the fire service said no-one was inside the building at the time, but local sources reported that two people were inside.

Lancaster City Council said its tree specialists had been called out to assess the situation on Wednesday afternoon.

A spokeswoman said: “Whilst assessing the situation it became apparent than an adjacent tree belonging to the church was diseased and dangerous and having cordoned off the site a decision was made on safety grounds to bring down the tree.

“The tree resting on the building will likely require a crane to remove it and this will take place at some point today (Thursday January 12).

“We have offered our expertise to advise and support the church in its removal if required.”

No-one at St Peter’s Church was available for comment.