SEVERAL motorists had a lucky escape after a tree crashed down onto a busy city road.

Residents told how they watched a motorbike and a car smash into the fallen trunk which was blocking Hill Lane this morning.

The driver of the car was taken to Southampton General Hospital for treatment.

Leighton Simmons was woken by the loud bang as the tree fell at 5.45am.

And as he looked out of his window a biker, believed to be in his 20s, careered into it.

The dad-of-two rushed downstairs to help but within moments a Mazda car driven by a man believed to be in his 50s had crashed into the tree, splitting it into three large pieces.

The 34-year-old retail director who had lived in Hill Lane for three years said: “About 5.45am this morning we heard the crash of a tree coming down which woke us up.

"I looked out of the window and saw a motorcyclist crash into it.

“The tree had come down and a few cars were turning around. The motorcyclist didn’t realise and crashed.

“I was just a bit worried, I came running out to make sure he was okay. The guy was a bit shaken up.

“I stood on the path helping him and we saw a car which sped past and crashed into the tree, pushing it close to our legs.

“The police and ambulance took about 15 minutes to turn up.

“It was only yesterday we were talking about it. It was quite gusty but I didn’t think anything like that would actually happen.”

Police closed the road until just after 7.30am when the Highways Agency had cleared the tree from the road, leaving it on the pavement.

Regarding the earlier incident where the tree came down on Hill Lane, a police spokeswoman said: “We were called at 6.03am to reports that a tree had come down. It covered both sides of the road.

“A motorcyclist then crashed into it but the motorcyclist was fine.
“We called highways to help with the tree. The road was clear at 7.40am.”

The road was closed from Burgess Road to Bellemoor Road.