A collection of beech trees popularised by the hit TV show Game of Thrones will have to be felled because they have become dangerously unstable, safety experts say.
Northern Ireland‘s Dark Hedges were planted in the 18th century but have suffered so much damage over the past 250 years that there are fears someone could be killed if action is not taken.
The trees are a popular tourist attraction in Armoy, Co Antrim, having featured in the TV adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novels.
Game of Thrones fans will remember that in season two Arya Stark escaped down the tree-lined road from King’s Landing.
The path was used as the Kingsroad, a track running much of the length of the land of Westeros which characters use to travel between the continent’s Seven Kingdoms.
Damaged: A collection of beech trees popularised by the hit TV show Game of Thrones will have to be felled because they have become dangerously unstable, safety experts say
Made famous: The trees are a popular tourist attraction in Armoy, Co Antrim, having featured in the TV adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novels (pictured)
However, what started as two rows of some 150 trees in total is now down to 86 because of rot, age, stormy weather and damage by tourists.
They were originally planted to line the approach to a Georgian mansion in Ballymoney called Gracehill House.
Eighty of these beech trees have now been surveyed by tree safety experts and just 30 found to be in a fair condition.
The rest were damaged in some way, including 11 at risk of falling on people because they are considered dangerously unstable.
One was completely dead, according to the report by Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure.
Of the 11 that have been recommended for the chop, six are subject to tree protection orders so the local council has to give its consent for this to happen.
Mervyn Storey, a DUP councillor, told the Belfast Telegraph: ‘I, and no one else, wants to see the beginning of the end of what is known as the Dark Hedges.
‘There was no money put in to do something like an aggressive tree-planting scheme, but my feeling is it’s far too late for that.’
Mr Storey is also a member of the Dark Hedges Preservation Trust, which has called for just four or five trees to be cut down
‘It’s trying to keep something alive that has been in the intensive care unit for a good number of years,’ he added.
Suffering with the passage of time: What started as two rows of some 150 trees in total is now down to 86 because of rot, age, stormy weather and damage by tourists
‘These trees are not going to last forever, and we’ve already lost a considerable amount as a result of weather and natural circumstances.’
Councillors will be told that the rescue plans ‘should help secure the continued presence of the majority of the protected trees, with an indicated life span of over 10 years’.
They will be asked to consider ‘health and safety concerns in association with potentially dangerous and structurally compromised trees’.
Bob McCallion, of the Save the Dark Hedges campaign group, told the Belfast Telegraph: ‘Because of the amount of people who stand under these trees, there is no way the council can reject these findings.
‘These trees are going to be condemned. But I’m not even sure they’ll do this because all these people want is the tourism.
‘People are wringing their hands. If they don’t do something over these trees, someone is going to be killed because of the state they are in.’
From a sea slug named ‘Khaleesi’ to a bee fly dubbed the ‘Night King’: The newly-discovered species named after Game of Thrones characters
Millions of die-hard fans of Game of Thrones were devastated when the hit fantasy series reached its conclusion in 2019.
Scientists around the world were not immune to the magic of the show, with many choosing to name their newly-discovered species in its honour.
This included scarab beetles named after Daenerys Targaryen’s three dragons, and a spider that reminded its locator of the manipulative Lord Varys.
Here, MailOnline takes a look at some of the show’s favourite characters in the form of spiders, sea slugs and dinosaurs.
MailOnline takes a look at some of the spiders, sea slugs and dinosaurs which have been named after Game of Thrones characters
