Chicken-shaped Tree

The chicken-shaped tree is situated by a slip road off the A10 near Milton, Cambs., causing many commuters to wonder if someone was playing a prank.

Bob Widd, an arboriculturalist, said time and weather had formed the tree into its remarkable shape."There are all sorts of reasons why trees grow into the shapes they do. The nutrients in the soil make a difference, as does the light.

"The weather plays a big part too. In the wind-swept Fens the easterly wind tends to blast off the buds on one side of the trees, which means most of the growth takes place on one side.

"In this case the tree underneath is dead. It was probably killed by the ivy that now completely covers it."