CONTRACTORS returned yesterday to remove white lines painted along the iconic Dark Hedges route in Co Antrim.
Workers used specialist equipment to burn off the road markings painted "in error" along the Bregagh Road, made famous by the US television fantasy series Game of Thrones.
The white lines had been added as part of a recent resurfacing scheme.
But the appearance of the traffic markings along the Dark Hedges route, known to fans as the King’s Road, led to fury among local residents and tourists.
There were complaints that the iconic corridor of beech trees had been destroyed.
The Department for Regional Development quickly admitted the road markings were painted by mistake vowed to rectify the error quickly.
Contractors moved in yesterday to remove the markings.
The condition of the road will also be monitored by DRD over the coming weeks and the department said it would "take further action to repair the road if necessary".
A spokesperson added that there was a "potential for some residual marking to the carriageway as a result of the removal, we are confident that, given the time of year and the number of vehicles using the Bregagh Road that any such marks will disappear soon".
"DRD will continue to monitor the condition of the surface over the coming weeks, and will take further action to repair the road if necessary."
One local resident yesterday said: "So glad they are removed", while another said: "What a relief".
The appearance of the white lines along the famous route was the second setback for the Dark Hedges in recent weeks.
At the end of January, Storm Gertrude ripped up two of the 200-year-old beeches that overhang the road and damaged a third.
