A TREE which once towered above an Oxford field has been chopped down after being deliberately poisoned.

An oak tree in Risinghurst Playing Field, estimated to be almost 200 years old, was reduced to a third of its size on Thursday.

Risinghurst and Sandhills Parish Council had to cut it down on safety grounds, after someone hacked away the bark, drilled holes into the trunk and filled it with poison.

The damage was noticed last summer, and arboricultural experts concluded that tree was dying.

Risinghurst residents spoke to the Oxford Mail last month, condemning the 'horrific' act of vandalism, which has been reported to police.

Parish council chairwoman Barbara Naylor, who sent in this picture of the tree after it was felled, said it was a 'sad day' for the community.

It is hoped the trunk can eventually be shaped into an attractive wood carving, inspired by the Aslan and story tree wood sculptures in Bury Knowle Park, Headington.