Campaigners are celebrating after an ancient oak tree said to be haunted was saved from the axe.

The tree, which is believed to have stood in Worthing for more than 300 years, was due to be felled on safety grounds by engineers after experts said the rotten oak posed a potential danger to pedestrians and drivers.

It was still a sapling when Queen Anne was on the thrown and survived through wars and the industrial revolution.

Disease finally took its toll on the the mighty oak, prompting officials to suggest cutting it down.

Neighbours and historians launched a campaign to save it on the grounds it was a treasured local feature.

They argued the tree was still healthy inside, despite rotten parts.

Legend has it that long ago, skeletons would rise from the roots of the mysterious Midsummer Tree, on Midsummer's Eve and dance around its trunk.

Its origins are thought to date back to pagan times when Midsummer, rather than Hallowe'en, was viewed as the most auspicious time to commune with the spirit world.

Councillors and the Highways Agency have agreed to preserve the tree, near Broadwater Green, and even erect a plaque in its spooky honour.

Historian and writer Chris Hare said the legend of the Midsummer Tree was first recorded by folklorist Charlotte Latham in 1868.

He said: "She recalled viewing the tree 'with an uncomfortable and suspicious look', having heard the legend of how skeletons would dance in a ring around the tree until dawn, when they would sink down into the spirit world again."

Mrs Latham was introduced to a man who claimed to have seen the dance of the dead.

Mr Hare added: "The man passed the tree at midnight and was 'frightened out of his very senses by seeing the dead men capering to the rattling of their own bones'."

Now, having won a stay of execution, the Midsummer Tree will be truncated to meet with Highways Agency concerns and an explanatory plaque erected, detailing its colourful history.

Mr Hare has been campaigning to retain the tree as part of Worthing's cultural heritage.

He said: "I am very pleased common sense has prevailed. The tree will remain as a local landmark, which I think is very important in these times of constant change."