Police are today trying to solve a mystery involving a couple, a chainsaw and a tree.

A man and woman were spotted trying to chop down a tree outside a restaurant in Middlesbrough, Teesside.

However, they had significant struggles and as you can see from the pictures, their efforts were largely unsuccessful.

A chainsaw has been left behind after getting stuck in the tree when the couple failed to fell it (Picture: Backgrid)

Police closed the road over fears that the tree could fall over (Picture: Backgrid)

A witness said that they could see them having difficulty felling the tree and tried to cut at it with the chainsaw from both sides.


In fact they gave up completely and ran off when the chainsaw became stuck and the police were called.

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It’s not clear why the couple were trying to chop the tree down, but their actions led to the closure of the Linthorpe Road because it was deemed dangerous.



Council officials have been called out to assess the tree and decide if it can be saved or if it will need to be chopped down.

Police arrested the pair and nearby business owners have been left scratching their heads as to why someone would do this.

Council workers will assess the tree to decide if it needs to be pulled down (Picture: Backgrid)

It’s likely that the tree will need to be removed because it is in a precarious state (Picture: Backgrid)

Police were called to the scene in Middlesbrough, Teesside, after the couple ran off (Picture: Backgrid)

A cordon was put in place because of the danger that the tree could fall as a result of strong winds in the area.

A spokeswoman for Cleveland Police said: ‘Police received numerous calls from the public and nearby just after 1am today (Tuesday) reporting a small group of people damaging a tree with a petrol chain saw on Linthorpe Road.

‘A 31-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and are currently in custody where they will be questioned.’