Council chiefs say a tree is safe despite it making a sound like "a cannon going off" when a branch crashed to the ground on a popular riverside path in York.

The incident happened on Tuesday, October 3, on a path next to the River Ouse, near the Blue Bridge, witnessed by former councillor Jonny Hayes.

He said: “We were standing about 20-30 yards from the tree and there was a huge crack.”

Despite there being several other people in the area, no one was hurt, he added.

City of York Council said it wanted to remind people that it has a web page for reporting issues surrounding public trees which can be found here. 

Ben Grabham, Head of Environmental Services at the council, said: “All trees along the riverside walk are inspected for safety on a yearly basis.

“The tree in question was found to be in good condition in the most recent inspection.

“Unfortunately, due to poor weather, one of the chestnut tree’s main forks split and fell. Trees of this type are regrettably more vulnerable to this type of damage."

READ NEXT:

He added that despite the incident the tree remained safe.

Mr Grabham said: “The tree is still in good health, and we hope to retain it for many more years.

“However, work will be needed to account for the damage, which has weakened the structure of the tree to a degree and may result in some decay.”