A HUGE clean up operation has begun to remove a famous tree which fell in the city yesterday.

Workers are currently at the park in Montpelier Crescent after a large Holm Oak crashed to the ground at around 12.30pm on Wednesday.

Tree surgeons are working to remove it and can be seen hacking it to pieces with large machinery.

The Argus: A worker removing parts of the fallen treeA worker removing parts of the fallen tree

People gathered yesterday evening for a candlelight vigil and shared memories, with many people saying it was a huge part of their childhood, while others spent happy afternoons there in the sunshine.

It appears to have split in three parts right down the trunk – and while the cause it not yet know, it is believed to have been partly due to recent periods of extreme heat and drought.

Pictures from the scene yesterday evening show the devastation caused by the tree after it fell.

The Argus: A car's window was smashed after the tree fell into itA car's window was smashed after the tree fell into it

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “The oak was showing no outward signs of instability or visible signs of decay. So we won’t be sure why it collapsed until we investigate further."