A BUSY Southampton road was blocked by a fallen tree.

The incident happened in Warren Avenue, Shirley, and buses were being diverted around the area.

First Southampton's 3 route and Bluestar's 17 route were both facing delays.

A Southampton City Council statement says: "The tree was inspected by a City Tree Officer this morning as part of the Council’s STORMS policy (Southampton’s Tree Operational Risk Management System), which is a rigorous and robust tree management system. Defects were identified that could predispose the tree to failure and the opinion was that the condition required it to be removed immediately given its proximity to pedestrians and vehicles.

"The Council Tree Surgery Team removed the tree in a safe and controlled manner whilst Balfour Beatty closed the road to facilitate works and to ensure no members of the public were at risk of harm.

"Cases like this are unusual with most surveys highlighting work that may be safely completed within a much longer timeframe."