A 100ft tree snapped in half during Storm Gerrit and crashed into a Dundee home in what “could have been a tragedy”.
Gordon McKay, 83, and his wife Jo, 82, were both in their home on Belsize Road, West Ferry when they heard a “thunderous bang” come from the garden.
Upon inspection, the couple realised a large fir tree from their neighbours’ garden had snapped in the gale-force winds and come down on their house.
Gordon said: “We heard a loud thunderous bang and when I looked outside the massive fire tree was in our garden.
“The whole house shook when the tree came down – I couldn’t believe what I saw when I looked in the garden.
“Parts of the tree are sticking through the garage roof.
“We’re very lucky it didn’t land on the kitchen – it would have fallen right through.
“It could’ve been a tragedy.”
Garden shed ‘smashed to smithereens’ as tree snaps during Storm Gerrit
Gordon describes the tree as above 100ft tall with a diameter of at least 3ft.
He says he had previously raised concerns with his neighbour about the height of the fir.
The 83-year-old added: “We have a glass and metal gazebo which sits on the patio which has been smashed to smithereens
“I don’t know the extent of the damage to the garden shed as it’s been consumed by the tree.
“The dividing wall between the gardens is also badly damaged.
“We’re still worried about the rest of the trees, you can see them swaying back and forth in the winds.
“We’re currently in the dark about the damage – we’re not sure what the next steps are.
“At our age, we can’t really think about removing it ourselves.
“I’ve raised concerns about the height of the trees before – but thankfully nobody was hurt.”
Elsewhere in Dundee, residents of Tofthill Place were left in shock after a line of trees crashed down on to their houses during the storm.
And in Fife, the River Eden burst its banks in Strathmiglo following several homes amid the torrential rain.
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