PARAMEDICS had a lucky escape after a monster oak tree collapsed and struck their ambulance as they were driving in rural Dorset.

Bere Road near Wareham was closed for several hours on Tuesday, May 9, after a large oak tree fell onto the road in the early hours of the morning – giving ambulance workers “the fright of their lives”.

Wareham Forest resident Clive France was awoken at around 4am by loud noises and the beeping of car horns. Upon looking out the window, he noticed blue flashing lights and took no notice.

Several hours later, he awoke to find the road had been closed by police and saw a huge oak tree had collapsed and hit an ambulance.

He told the Echo: “My first question was whether everybody was okay, because it didn’t look good at first.

“Considering the fact that some 30 tonnes of tree had crashed down onto it, the ambulance stood up pretty well. When I first saw it I thought ‘my goodness me it must have torn the side out', but it didn’t. Mercifully, the damage was quite minimal.

Bournemouth Echo: Ambulance after being struck by fallen oak tree in Bere Road, WarehamAmbulance after being struck by fallen oak tree in Bere Road, Wareham (Image: Clive France)

“If that tree had been five feet closer to the road it would have come down and crushed that vehicle like a tin can. I imagine the ambulance crew would have had the fright of their lives.”

Clive, 54, immediately offered his help and used his tractor to remove several tonnes of broken tree from the road alongside tree surgeons who were called to assist.

A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust said: “This morning (Tuesday, May 9) one of our ambulances was returning to base in Shaftesbury when a tree fell and struck it in the Wareham area.

“There were no patients on board at the time and the crew was uninjured.”

A Dorset Police spokesperson said: “We received a report at 4.09am of a collision involving an ambulance and a fallen tree.

“Officers attended and road closures were put in place as the local authority dealt with the fallen tree. Officers left the scene at around 10.30am.”

Clive added: “I’m just pleased everyone was okay in the end, as it could have been a lot worse.”