EXCLUSIVE:

DRAMATIC security camera footage shows how a possible tragedy was avoided by luck and just a handful of seconds when a huge tree came crashing down onto a borough street on Thursday (11 March).

The incident on Chestnut Avenue in Grays happened at 8.17am and the footage shows a mum and three young children walk past three minutes earlier and an older schoolgirl walk past less than 90 seconds before the tree fell to ground.

The owner of a car also had a lucky escape, moving his vehicle away just a few minutes before the tree was uprooted in high winds.

Thurrock Council has denied having any responsibility for the tree coming down, saying they had inspected it and it was safe!

That's despite residents on Chestnut Avenue saying they had expressed concerns about the fact the tree appeared top heavy and that its roots have been standing in water during heavy rain.

And to add to the local feeling of annoyance, the council have told the resident whose wheelie bin was crushed by the tree that he will have to pay for a new one!