IT didn’t quite turn their world upside down – but it did put a unique slant on things.

John Hunt and his wife Eileen watched in desperation as a 40ft tree in their Southampton back garden crashed down leaving their shed at a 45-degree angle John described it as “like a slow-motion horror film” as the giant 100-year-old oak tree creaked before smashing to the ground, inches from his neighbour’s back door.

The fall was so powerful, the root ball wrenched up the garden shed including the one-tonne slab of concrete attached to the bottom.

The couple said it was lucky no one was killed in the drama, which happened while they were sitting indoors looking out at the garden.

Retired John, 66, was mystified as to why the tree came down during calm weather conditions – but suggested that the ground may have become unstable as a result of the wet weather or that the roots may have been weakened by a fungus.

He said: “When we saw it go, we rushed outside because somebody may have been walking around in the garden. It was like watching a slow motion horror film.

“The thought of somebody being under it at the time doesn’t bear thinking about.

Fortunately nobody was hurt. Our other neighbours said it felt like there had been an earthquake.”

Just two years ago John had reduced the size of the tree by a third.

If he hadn’t done it, it would almost certainly have crashed through the side of Steve and Lesley Turner’s home next door.

The couple were away in London when they found out how close the tree had come to crashing through their kitchen.

Lesley told the Daily Echo: “The whole situation could have been an awful lot worse.

Had it been in summer when people are out and about, it could easily have killed somebody. We are really very lucky.”