It may have rained on the Parade on Saturday, but there was further disruption two days later when a dangerous tree caused roads in the area to be closed.
On Monday evening, the double-lane, single-direction road outside the main entrance to the General Hospital had to be closed and traffic diverted after a red oak lining Parade Gardens split to a dangerous level.
Thought to be wear and tear rather than a potential lightning strike from Saturday, the split tree was directly opposite the Emergency Department – leading to fears that it could cause structural damage to the essential facility.
There was also a clear risk to pedestrians and motorists.
In a statement, the government said: “Emergency services and Infrastructure and Environment teams responded to a public safety incident involving a tree at Parade Gardens, St Helier, on Monday.
“At around 7.38pm, concerns were raised about a mature tree on The Parade, opposite the Emergency Department at Jersey General Hospital.
“The tree had developed a significant crack – around 200 mm wide – which was actively worsening, creating an immediate risk of failure towards the hospital.
“Jersey Fire and Rescue Service and the States of Jersey Police quickly established a safety cordon and closed the road. Fire officers also worked with hospital staff to take precautionary measures.
“As part of this, patients in the waiting area and those seated near windows in the triage area were moved further inside the department, with no disruption to services.”
It added: “Infrastructure and Environment arranged an urgent response from AAA Tree Surgeons, who stabilised the tree before safely dismantling and removing it using specialist equipment.
“Jersey Fire and Rescue Service remained on site throughout to provide safety oversight. The St Helier Honorary Police supported traffic management and public safety.
“The works were completed and the area made safe, with the road reopening at approximately 4.30am on Tuesday morning.”
Tree surgeon Dominic Volante, of AAA Tree Services, who worked on the tree, said: “The tree was still cracking when we arrived and was split right down to the bottom, so it would have fallen if we hadn’t taken it down.
“We had to fell both halves of the tree separately, which was more of a challenge because it was nighttime.
“The roadside of the split tree had some serious weight to it, so there was no question that it had to come down quickly.”
Mr Volante said that five tree surgeons worked on cutting the tree down, in addition to a crane crew.