A tree presented to the city 40 years ago to take pride of place at the International garden festival has been hacked up.

The snake bark maple tree - also known as an acer davidii - has stood in the Oriental Gardens within Liverpool’s Festival Gardens in Otterspool for nearly 40 years. In the autumn, its beautiful red foliage is a sight to behold.

The tree was presented as a gift to Liverpool by the Japanese government as part of the International Garden Festival, which was held on the site from May to October 1984.

On Sunday, Kate Parry, Secretary of the Friends of Festival Gardens association, was working in the gardens when she was approached by a member of the public, who told her the tree had been vandalised. She went to investigate and saw the damage for herself.

Speaking to the ECHO, Kate said: “Half of the tree had been torn off - the part that was easily accessible by climbing onto stones. There were a couple of areas where branches had been burnt, and at the top of the cascade, branches from the tree had been piled up to be burnt.”

Kate said she felt “shocked and upset” when she saw the extent of the damage. She added: “It’s an iconic tree - it’s our sycamore gap tree. It was an established tree when it was donated - so it’s more than 40 years old.”