A TOWERING tree crashed to the ground mere metres from a home in Harwell. 

Villagers had a lucky escape after the mature specimen thudded onto their front lawn last night, narrowly missing the house itself as well as an electricity pole.

It is thought the trunk crushed a garden wall as it collapsed on its side, leaving spindly branches splaying across the grass.

One of the homeowners wrote on a public Harwell Facebook page: "It is a huge shame.

"It fell down last night [Thursday], and very fortunately didn't cause any injury."

She thanked a passerby, who was walking past when it fell, who 'kept everyone safe whilst felled cables were sorted'.

Images of the tree suggest its trunk was rotten, potentially causing the fall. 

One Harwell resident wrote on Facebook: "Just drove past and couldn’t believe my eyes! So lucky it didn’t fall on the house.

"What a shame its gone - it's been there forever."

Another added: "It does look shocking but so lucky it fell in the best direction possible."