A MUM has told of her narrow escape after extreme winds blew down a tree which crashed on to her car bonnet.

Southend Pier, along with the Cliff lift and Pier Hill lift, were closed yesterday due to the dangerously high winds and the Southend Pier Marathon cancelled.

Laura Hill and her partner Russell Snowdon said they were grateful no-one was injured after a tree came crashing down on to their car in Westbourne Avenue, Westcliff.

The couple, whose child is aged two, miraculously escaped without injury but were left deeply shaken after the incident just after 10am yesterday.

Miss Hill said: “We had just got into the car and I had just got my youngest into the car seat.

“We got in, turned the car around and it just smashed down onto the bonnet.

“It was such a shock, it came out of nowhere, and all I keep thinking about is ‘What if’.

“If we had been just a minute later in getting into the car we could have been on the pavement, someone could have been walking by, it could have been so much worse.

“None of us were injured, the tree came down onto the bonnet. We’re not sure how much damage has been caused, and we’re all still shaken.

“Russell and I are both just incredibly thankful nothing worse happened.”

Adventure Island UK, on Western Esplanade, was also closed yesterday due to the dangerous winds.

The Met Office has also forecast more problems and issued a weather warning for high winds on Wednesday.

Strong north-westerly winds are expected from 12.15am to 3pm, which could affect coastal routes and journey times.

The Met Office stated some bus and train services will be affected and warned some journeys could take longer.