A FAMILY is lucky to be alive after a huge tree came crashing into their garden.

Father-of-two Paul Williams has spoken of his relief that no one was home when the 90ft high tree narrowly missed his house on Francis Avenue, Little Acton, when strong winds struck.

But Mr Williams, 49, fears more than £15,000 damage may have been caused, with items including fencing, a children’s trampoline and toys, a conservatory and shed and a house window all crushed by the tree fall early on Friday.

Speaking shortly after the tree was removed yesterday, Mr Williams said: “It’s been a bit of a nightmare but I’m just glad the tree has now gone, hopefully it will never happen again.

“My main feeling is relief that nobody was here when it happened. I have two young sons, aged five and 11, and I fear they would have been killed if the tree had fallen on them.

“I have an assessor coming this week to assess the damage and hopefully the insurance issue will all be sorted out.”

Mr Williams was at work at Dave Bennett Accident and Repairs when he was told of the tree falling down from an unoccupied area behind the house.

A tree felling firm worked over the weekend to clear the tree, which had filled up most of the back garden.

“There was probably only about five feet of the stump left,” added Mr Williams. “It had snapped and come crashing down in my garden.

“If this had come down one foot the other way it would have gone straight through our conservatory.

“If it wasn’t my garden it would have been somebody else’s, so I’m just glad nobody was injured by this.”

Despite the problems it has caused him, Mr Williams has seen the lighter side of the incident.

“I’m able to laugh about it now,” he added. “You’ve got to try and be upbeat about things.

“But it has caused a lot of hassle.”