A North East artist has been heralded a "psychic" by fans after he seemingly eerily predicted the destruction of the famous Sycamore Gap tree 24 hours before it was felled.
Lincoln Lightfoot, 31, has been bombarded on social media after he drew Northumberland landmark Sycamore Gap being pulled from the ground and beamed up in a UFO hours before the tree was felled on Wednesday, September 30.
The Middlesbrough-educated artist, now based in York, first drew the landmark with two dinosaurs after being told about it by a friend.
Read more: Second arrest made after Sycamore Gap tree cut down
But, he ended up finding the site "so interesting" that he felt compelled to draw the tree again with an added alien twist.
After completing the piece on Tuesday, September 26, Lincoln posted a short reel and the finished piece the following day, naming it 'No More Sycamore'.
Read more: Robin Hood actor Brian Blessed hopes new tree can be planted at Sycamore Gap
He then woke up on the morning of Thursday, September 28 to a social media storm following news the tree had been "deliberately felled".
Lincoln said: "I finished the piece on Tuesday night and immediately posted a reel of the artwork that evening and a picture of the final artwork the next day (Wednesday).
"It was then that Wednesday night that the felling happened. It was quite spooky, and my friend who told me to draw the tree was the one who alerted me of the news - it feels like it has come full circle!"
The national news story of the tree's destruction led to comments, messages and reposts of the piece where Lincoln was called both a "psychic" and "suspicious" for the chilling coincidence.
He added: "I just could not believe it - what a coincidence. I then learned about the age of the tree and how long it had been there which was crazy.
"For me to have timed it and posted it hours before the tree came down was just so shocking. I debated whether to take the post down because I thought it was a bit insensitive; I didn't know what to do.
"I was all over the place - my partner even said 'you could be a suspect' because of this terrible thing that has happened."
DM's to Lincoln's Instagram in the following hours comically asked him to "post the lottery numbers", picking up on the sinister timing of the piece.
He added: "The first message I got on social media was someone who just wrote 'suspicious', and if I wasn't aware of what had happened I would have been really confused.
"Others keep commenting crystal ball emojis, and some are re-posting the art calling me a fortune teller!"
Read next on the Sycamore Gap felling:
- New shoots expected to grow from Sycamore Gap tree
- Iconic tree at 'Sycamore Gap' 'destroyed overnight
- Boy arrested after Sycamore Gap tree felled is bailed
Lincoln's other pieces may not be as prophetic as his Sycamore Gap work, and often depict monsters and creatures destroying popular North East landmarks.
Featured monsters include T-Rex dinosaurs, a frog and even the famous Lambton Worm.
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