A topiary elephant in Finsbury Park that lost its head in a tragic car accident has been “resurrected”.

One of three hedge carved elephants at the junction of Romilly Road and Ambler Road was damaged on August 13, when a car crashed into it and knocked its head off.

But Tim Bushe, the topiarist who fashioned the elephants seven years ago and continues to maintain them, called in three of his contractors to replant what was left of the hedge.

He told the Gazette: "The elephant was resurrected. Fortunately enough 30 to 40 per cent of the roots are left, so hopefully enough to survive. It looked alright. It hasn't gone brown. I think they left temporary support up to stop it from being blown over."

No one was hurt in the car accident, which wasn't treated as suspicious. But it did come days after this paper reported a neighbour wanted to cut the elephants down due to people hiding behind them to take drugs.

Police raided the downstairs flat of the elephant house in June last year and found a drugs den with "smoke crack worship satan" scrawled on the wall. A closure order was secured and the property remains empty.