The 60ft lime fell across Church Lane during gusty weather on Friday evening, blocking the lane for several hours.

Greville Smith Avenue resident William Long thought the sound of timber falling at around 9pm was one of his fruit trees.

But when the retired AP worker looked outside in the morning he found a lime tree on the far side of nearby Church Lane had fallen into his garden.

It had crushed the apple and plum tree, damaged part of his garage and reduced a new fence to smithereens.

Mr Long, 86, said: "I felt the snap and the bungalow shook a bit.

"When I looked down the lane in the morning I couldn't believe it. There was this great big tree in my garden.

"It's just as well the car wasn't in the drive or it would have been smashed."

Contractors from Warwick District Council removed the tree on Monday morning, and found the tree had fallen as a result of rotting in its trunk.

Its state has raised a number of questions for residents. The tree is one of a row which grow beside Church Lane, and with uncertainty over who owns the land, it is also unclear who is responsible for surveying and keeping them safe.

Whitnash town councillor Richard Sparkes lives next door to Mr Long and believes a full survey ought to be carried out.

He said one pedestrian who had witnessed the tree falling was left feeling shaken, while a woman who had driven beneath the tree moments before it fell was unable to return home for some hours because its trunk had blocked the road.

Cllr Sparkes (Ind, Whitnash North) added that schoolchildren regularly used the lane to reach Campion School and said a number of other trees were "very suspect".

The subject was due to be discussed at Whitnash Town Council yesterday evening (Thursday).