The tree that fell on to a cottage in Ashby last week struck the 400-year-old home with a force of up to four tons according to the company that cleared the site.

Coleorton-based Eden Tree Care was given the job of making the area safe, pulling the collapsed tree out of the thatched roof and cutting down another tree which was threatening to topple into a property in neighbouring Tower Gardens.

Ashby Nub News reported last Monday that the occupants of the home narrowly escaped serious injury as they had moved downstairs just moments before the tree came crashing down as a result of storms hitting the Ashby area.

Ashby couple in lucky escape as tree crashes through roof.

John Smithard, of Eden Tree Care, described the operation to clear the tree away from the cottage.

He told Ashby Nub News: "The police shut the road off, the main thing initially was to clear the roadside, but the tree was in eaves of the house.

"We went up there on Tuesday to make a battle plan - the crane company then joined us to discuss how we were going to approach it.

"Ashby Crane Hire helped us with a 60 foot crane.

"The other big danger was another tree at the rear of the house, that was leaning and aiming for Tower Gardens.

"Because the Beech tree that fell on to the cottage had uprooted itself, it took the roots of the Oak tree at the back.

"That was a real danger to the family in the home on Tower Gardens, so we had to take that one down. Had it fallen, it would've been a danger to the home immediately behind."

But it was the damage caused to the cottage that was most obvious.

John added: "If we'd cut it away in little pieces, we might have done more damage to the house.

"The couple inside were really lucky.

"The section of we took off the roof was probably three or four tons, and that would've come right through the house.

"In all, there was quite a bit of tonnage there. I think engineers will need to go in next to see what needs to be done next structurally.

"But, as well as these things can go, it all went to plan, it was immaculate really. We didn't do any more damage, and we're quite pleased about that.

"It was a couple of days work in all. But we had a lot of calls elsewhere, particularly after Storm Franklin.

"But it wasn't just the task at hand, we had people at risk while they were doing their job, it had to be very precise."

John added that the job had special significance for him as he was raised in Ashby as part of the Smithard's Bakery family.

He said: "We're an old Ashby family.

"The Bakery is all linked to me, even though we don't own it any more.

"We have strong Ashby connections over the generations."