ONE of Gostrey Meadow’s iconic golden weeping willows was given the chop this week after rangers spotted a dangerous split in one of the tree’s largest limbs.

The split would have significantly reduced the much-loved willow’s life expectancy, presenting a danger to users of the meadow, and so Waverley Borough Council took the difficult decision to reduce it to a stump.

Tree surgeons performed the work on Tuesday, reducing the entire crown of the willow to just four metres.