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Watch the moment 200-year-old tree, damaged by Storm Doris, is lifted over house in Bracondale, Norwich
A tree that fell in Storm Doris is lifted over the houses on Bracondale, Norwich. Picture: ANTONY KELLY - Credit: Archant
This is the nailbiting moment a giant tree, which was damaged by Storm Doris, is lifted over a house in Norwich.
City-bound lanes in Bracondale, between the County Hall roundabout and the junction with King Street, have been closed since this morning to allow teams to move the 70 foot holm oak tree, which was left in an unsafe state following last Thursday's gale-force winds.
A 42-metre-high crane was used to lift the 200-year-old damaged tree, which poses a health and safety risk, from the garden of a private property.
Half of the tree, weighing nearly five tonnes, fell onto a boundary flint wall between two back gardens and a lean-to, smashing glass window panes, at 3.30pm on Thursday.
MORE: Bracondale in Norwich closes for hours, so a crane can remove a tree damaged by Storm Doris
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No-one was injured.
That half was lifted in one piece over the roof of the period property on Bracondale and onto the main road, which was blocked to motorists during the careful operation.
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Experts from Long Stratton-based Arborpro Tree Services then chopped the tree into sections on the road.
The remaining part of the oak tree is being chopped up into six sections weighing one-two tonnes in the back garden before being lifted onto Bracondale on Thursday, March 1.
Speaking about lifting the initial part of the oak tree, Jonathan Vaughn, co-owner of Arborpro Tree Services, said: 'It is quite a big job with difficult moments. It has involved a lot of organisation because it affects one of the main roads into Norwich.
'We only had one option - to lift the first half of the tree in one section. Once we decided to lift it, we had to do it then.'
Mr Vaughn, who had to spend several minutes dangling in the air chained to a harness inspecting the tree, said the removal and crane lift went 'pretty smoothly'.
He added his firm has been called out to deal with 30 trees knocked down by Storm Doris but the holm oak, made of dense heavy wood, was one of the biggest it had dealt with.
The owner of the garden, in which the tree fell from, who wished to remain anonymous, said when the tree fell it sounded like a car crash.
She said: 'It is quite sad to see the tree go.'
The homeowners covered the cost of the tree removal, which ran into the thousands, with their insurance.
Her neighbour, whose glass lean-to was badly damaged by the tree, was upset and in shock.
Motorists are being diverted via the A146 towards the Hall Road roundabout where traffic will then be diverted into the city until 4.30pm.
Traffic using Martineau Lane will be able to access the roundabout for County Hall and Trowse.