A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in northern England in connection with what authorities describe as the "deliberate" felling of a famous tree that had stood for nearly 200 years next to the Roman landmark Hadrian's Wall.

Thousands of visitors each year walk along Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that guarded the Roman Empire's northwestern frontier.

Many have paused to admire and photograph the tree at Sycamore Gap, a beloved icon of the landscape that was made famous when it appeared in Kevin Costner's 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.

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Photographs from the scene on early Thursday showed that the tree was cut down near the base of its trunk, with the rest of it lying on its side.

Northumbria Police said the teen was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

He was in police custody and assisting officers with their inquiries, the force said.

"The tree is a world-renowned landmark and the vandalism has caused understandable shock and anger throughout the local community and beyond," police said in a statement.

"This is an incredibly sad day," police superintendent Kevin Waring said.

"The tree was iconic to the North East and enjoyed by so many who live in or who have visited this region."

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The Northumberland National Park authority asked the public not to visit the felled tree, which was voted English Tree of the Year in 2016.

Alison Hawkins, who was walking on the Hadrian's Wall path, was one of the first people who saw the damage early Thursday.

"It was a proper shock. It's basically the iconic picture that everyone wants to see," she said.

"You can forgive nature doing it but you can't forgive that."

The American soldier who sprinted into North Korea across the heavily fortified border between the Koreas more than two months ago has arrived back in the United States, video appears to show.

North Korea abruptly announced on Wednesday that it would expel Private Travis King. His return was organised with the help of ally Sweden and rival China, according to the White House.

While officials have said King, 23, is in good health and the immediate focus will be on caring for him and reintegrating him into US society, his troubles are likely far from over.

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King, who had served in South Korea, ran into the North while on a civilian tour of a border village on July 18, becoming the first American confirmed to be detained in the isolated country in nearly five years.

At the time, he was supposed to be heading to Fort Bliss, Texas, following his release from prison in South Korea on an assault conviction.

He has been declared AWOL from the Army. In many cases, someone who is AWOL for more than a month can automatically be considered a deserter.

Punishment for going AWOL or desertion can vary, and it depends in part on whether the service member voluntarily returned or was apprehended. King's handover by the North Koreans makes that more complicated.

Video aired on Thursday by a Texas news station appeared to show King walking off a plane in San Antonio. Dressed in a dark top and pants, he could be seen speaking briefly with people waiting on the tarmac. He shook hands with one before being led into a building.

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Emails seeking comment were sent to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, the Air Force and the Army.

Officials earlier said he would be taken to Brooke Army Medical Centre at Fort Sam Houston. He is expected to undergo psychological assessments and debriefings, and he will also get a chance to meet with family.

He will be in military custody throughout the process since his legal situation is complicated.

Many questions remain about King's case, including why he fled in the first place and why the North — which has tense relations with Washington over Pyongyang's nuclear program, support for Russia's war in Ukraine and other issues — agreed to turn him over.

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The White House has not addressed North Korean state media reports that King fled because of his dismay about racial discrimination and inequality in the military and US society.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported that King made such complaints but verifying that is impossible.

On Wednesday, Swedish officials took King to the Chinese border, where he was met by US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, the Swedish ambassador to China, and at least one US Defence Department official.

He was then flown to a US military base in South Korea before heading to the US.

His detention was relatively short by North Korean standards.

Two men on a scooter have been filmed hauling what appears to be a television in Sydney's Inner West.

The passenger clung to the flat screen while the driver navigated a corner along Addison Road in Marrickville.

The set-up caught the eye of the people in the car behind as the bike was driving east away from Livingstone Road.

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New South Wales Police is investigating the incident.

Unsecured loads have the potential to cause death or injury on the roads.

According to NSW law, loads must be restrained by an appropriate method in a way that does not make the vehicle unstable or unsafe.

Loads must also be secured in a way that makes them unlikely to fall or dislodge.

Overhanging and unsecured loads can attract a $439 fine and the loss of three demerit points.

A 13-metre sinkhole let untreated sewage run directly into the Waitematā Harbour.

Police are investigating after reports a St Johns home was shot at.

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The death is not being treated as suspicious.

A man has suffered serious burns after he was set on fire in Newcastle this morning.

NSW Police were called to a fast-food restaurant on King Street when the 23-year-old suffering from serious burns on his body sought help at 3.20am.

"The man was taken to John Hunter Hospital before he was transferred to Royal North Shore Hospital, where he remains in a serious but stable condition," NSW Police said in a statement.

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Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

Investigations are continuing.

A driver accused of crashing into two children playing in a laneway behind their grandparents' home was unfamiliar with driving a car and had only been in Australia for six days.

Ngoc Thanh Vo is charged with dangerous driving over a crash in Braybrook, in Melbourne's west, on Tuesday evening.

A three-year-old boy suffered minor injuries, while an eight-year-old boy has undergone surgeries for multiple serious injuries after being pinned between two cars.

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Vo, who arrived in Australia from Vietnam six days before the incident, allegedly mistook the accelerator for the brake when driving in the laneway behind four townhouses.

Police told Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday Vo was unlicensed and generally unfamiliar with driving a car when he went out on his own for a drive around the block in a Toyota Prado.

CCTV footage allegedly shows Vo return to the laneway where the vehicle suddenly accelerated, striking three parked cars and the two children.

The younger boy was hit by one of the parked cars while the older one was pinned between the Prado's bull bar and the back of a second car.

Both he and the car were pushed over a concrete gutter at the end of the laneway, down a grass embankment, across a road and into the fence of a neighbouring property, the court heard.

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He remained pinned until emergency services arrived, and has suffered pelvis, leg and femoral artery injuries which have required surgeries, police said.

The court heard Vo was in Australia on a partner visa, living with his wife who supported him in court.

Police have sought 12 weeks to put together a brief of evidence, which is expected to include mechanical reconstruction of the crash and forensic analysis of the boys' injuries.

Vo, who is on bail, is due back in court on January 31, 2024.

He is also charged with reckless conduct endangering serious injury, unlicensed driving and careless driving.