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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
April Roach

Moment huge tree is brought crashing down by high winds in west London and narrowly misses pedestrians

Dashcam footage shows the moment a tree fell at the junction of South Ealing Road and Little Ealing Lane in Ealing (Picture: PA)

This is the moment a huge tree missed pedestrians by inches when high winds brought it crashing down at a busy crossroads in west London.

Dashcam footage shows a couple leaping out of the way as the uprooted tree collapses in Ealing on Saturday afternoon.

The video was taken from Andrew Thomas's car as he was driving through the area with his girlfriend Joanna Wolman.

Ms Woman, 33, described the "horrific" moment they saw the tree collapse at the junction of South Ealing Road and Little Ealing Lane.

Dashcam footage shows the moment a couple jumped out of the way to avoid the falling tree (PA)

"As a person with anxiety I was shocked and scared," she said.

“Seeing that couple approaching and the tree falling was so horrific for me. You can hear us swearing (in the video).

“That pair were so lucky… a person who is constantly looking (at their) phone would be killed.”

Ealing Council said the tree has now been removed (PA)

Ms Wolman and Mr Thomas called police just after 4pm and officers informed the local council of the downed tree.

The Metropolitan Police said they believe no one was injured in the incident.

Mr Thomas, 41, who works as a health and safety manager, said: “My shock is how the tree got to that state in the first place… when were the checks of it done?

“Surely this is the council’s responsibility to ensure the safety of the public? This case they clearly did not.”

A spokeswoman from Ealing Council said: “While the cause of this incident is yet to be established, all trees in the borough are inspected on an ongoing basis and maintenance carried out as required.”

The spokeswoman added the tree had since been removed.

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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