High wind fells tree which blocks the canal and touches nearby house

* The fallen tree blocks the canal, the towpath and has gone across the hedge to touch the house on the other side.

This morning's high winds blew down a large tree on the canal, completely blocking the waterway and the hampering walkers on the towpath.  

Its upper branches were also left touching the side of a house on the other side of the nearby hedge.

The fallen tree forced Llangollen Wharf to cancel the day's horse-drawn boat trips towards the Chain Bridge, which its manager Neil Tuffton reckons will have cost him between £300-£500 in lost revenue and cancellations.

* Some towpath walkers were able to negotiate the branches. Others were not.

He said: "The tree came down near the entrance to the marina sometime between nine and nine-thirty this morning and had been standing on the bank opposite.  

"As it had completely blocked the canal there was no alternative but to cancel the day's trips towards the Chain Bridge, which is four in all.

"I've spent the rest of the day phoning people who had booked to explain that we'd unfortunately had to cancel.

"I estimate that this will have cost us somewhere between £300 and £500 but it's just one of those things."

There was no-one available at the house on which the top section of the tree was lying.

More hardy walkers were able to duck under the tree to negotiate the towpath while others were seen to walk away in the opposite direction. 

* Today's horse-drawn boats towards the Chain Bridge had to be cancelled.

Around 2pm a spokesperson for the Canal & River Trust which controls the waterway said: "I’ve spoken to our teams in the area, and they’ve confirmed that contractors should be on site, if not arriving soon, and will be also attending another large branch that’s blocking the towpath further downstream."