A driver narrowly avoided being crushed by a large tree in Highgate this morning as the dregs of Hurricane Gonzalo hit Britain.
The tree fell across Chester Road from Highgate Cemetery immediately in front of a motorist approaching the junction with Swain’s Lane at about 10am.
The driver escaped without any injuries but the tree’s branches cracked his windscreen and caused superficial damage, according to resident Colin Taylor, of Holly Village.
The country has been battered by the tail-end of Hurricane Gonzalo this morning, with gusts reaching up to 71mph recorded in some parts of Britain.
Mr Taylor, a retired architect, told the Ham&High: “There was a unique tearing sound. I was in the house and thought it was a small crash but when I went to the window, the road was full of tree!
“The driver was lucky. If it had been a few seconds earlier, he would have run completely under it.”
Work is underway to remove the tree from the road after the junction was blocked for two hours this morning.
One lane at the junction has re-opened to allow motorists through.
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