OVER hundreds of years, Hereford's Old Bridge has stood firm against many passing attackers.

But it is doubtful that many have come in the form of this sizeable tree.

The vegetation floated down the River Wye today before coming to an abrupt halt in front of the city's historic crossing.

Many shoppers stopped to take pictures as the highest part of the branches topped the bridge.

The arrival of the tree comes just days after staff from Balfour Beatty carried out maintenance work on the bridge - it now seems that Environment Agency workers will be needed at the same site to prevent more foliage stacking up behind the stranded tree.

Andy Turner, area Duty Manager from the Environment Agency, said: “Our team has been out to Old Bridge in Hereford this morning to assess the tree stuck at the bridge, and plan to begin removing it in the morning.

”Following the rain, the River Wye is high and fast flowing and we’re not currently able to remove the tree safely, however the tree is not posing any immediate flood risk. Due to the size of the tree the removal may need to be done over a period of time, as the river recedes, and when it is safe to do so. We are closely monitoring the situation."