Mighty Oak Falls

Is this an echo of the UK finance sector? A 250-year-old Lucombe oak toppled over last weekend and died of old age. First planted in the 1760's by William Lucombe, the oak was the centerpiece of Phear Park in Exmouth. With a mighty girth of 26ft (rivalling some banker's expense accounts), it was the biggest of its kind in the world. The echoes of the finance sector do not end there, East Devon district gardeners now have to clean up the mess and decide what to do with the shattered trunk! Like the banking foiasco, the size of the problem dwarfs the human scale! All is not lost however acorns from the oak were collected last year. One of the oak's germinated protegy may yet replace it. If only the banking sector proves to be as easy to revive! Image: APEX, www.exmouthjournal.co.uk