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**FILE PHOTO**

A world-famous tree has been cut down overnight in a 'malicious act of vandalism', sparking an outpouring of grief from devastated locals and nature lovers.

The Sycamore Gap, located in Northumberland along the site of Hadrian's Wall, is perhaps most famous for featuring in the 1991 blockbuster film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman.

The iconic tree, which is believed to be 300 years old, was this morning found cut down, with its upper section lying across the historic Roman barrier.

Part of the tree appears to have been marked with white paint, indicating that someone may have felled it with a chainsaw.

Northumberland National Park Authority believe that it was deliberately chopped down.

The tree, located in a dramatic dip along Hadrian's Wall in the Northumberland National Park, had become one of the most photographed in the country.

People are being discouraged from visiting the spot while the hunt for clues goes on and the probe takes place.