A family had a lucky escape after a large tree branch fell in their back yard.

Dave Osborne, of Carnarvon Drive, Enfield, was upstairs watching TV on Tuesday last week (July 19), when he heard a crashing noise and his dog barking wildly.

A large part of a tree overhanging his house, which he shares with his parents Dave Snr. and Maureen, had fallen into the yard, with Mr Osborne saying it could have done serious damage had it hit anybody.

He said they had talked to Enfield Council many times about having the tree dealt with, but were unable to ascertain who owned the land the tree grows on, in an alley behind Carnarvon Drive.

Mr Osborne, 45, said: “It began overhanging really badly last year. Kids go down that alley to St. Anne’s School, it doesn’t bear thinking about what could have happened if it fell the other way while they were going to school.

“Maybe the heat weakened it, but it has looked like it could go at any moment for a while.

“When I told my dad, he just said ‘Oh blimey’. My parents are 75 and 72, if it hit them – and it’s great weather so they could have been in the garden – it could have killed them.”

Mr Osborne said they contacted Enfield Council asking for help moving it, and were told it had been logged and would be moved by Monday.

However, when nobody came at the start of this week, he had to move the heavy wood himself.

He said: “I nearly killed myself doing it, in the hot weather it was hard work.

“We are very disappointed in the council, they say the land in the alley is not theirs but they are responsible for maintaining it, there are council warning signs against fly tipping for example. We could have used some help.”

Enfield Council said the tree was not on their land and as it fell into a private garden they did not arrange for it to be cleared.

However they did say an officer would check the area to make sure it was safe for the public.