THE FAMILY which run The Burrator Inn in Dousland have thanked the community for rallying round with chainsaws after a massive tree was toppled in their car park during Storm Antoni on Saturday afternoon.

Deputy manager Spencer Cekalla reported that the tree fell on his father’s, landlord Mike’s car, a BMW.

Luckily no one was injured, although one witness said that the tree had narrowly avoided hitting three people.

The pub’s chef was walking across the car park moments before the tree came crashing down, reported Spencer, but was fortunately in a storeroom at the critical moment. The tree was blown down mid-afternoon in a particulary strong gust in the storm which attracted an Amber Warning from the Met Office.

“It happened on Saturday afternoon,’ said Spencer. “I wasn’t on shift but I live on site. We didn’t actually hear anything when the tree fell down.

My dad, Mike Cekella is the landlord and he got a message on his phone saying a tree had fallen on top of his car.

He looked out of the window and saw the tree on top of the car and a massive dent in his BMW which was not there before.

“We all went outside. It was a very big tree. It is lucky it fell the way it if because if it had fallen the other way it could have caused more damage. After that we got the community to come with chainsaws and chop up the tree because we had cars that couldn’t get out. Thanks to everyone working together we got it done in two hours.

“It happened about half past three. There were about 30 customers in the pub at the time.”

The storm gathered in strength in the afternoon, taking people by surprise in East Cornwall and West Devon, as during the morning it had seemed that the storm, which the Met Office had forecast as being as severe as a winter gale, seemed to be fizzling out

However, in the afternoon there were some strong gusts which toppled down trees and power lines.

The A386 north of Tavistock was closed for several hours after powerlines came down outside the Fox and Hounds pub. Local police closed the road and emergency teams cleared the road.

And on the Bere peninsula, a tree came crashing down in Pound Lane near Buckland Monachorum.

Sally Dunn and her husband, from Bere Alston, came across the tree over the road while driving home from Long Ash with her husband.

“We were walking the dogs on the moors over near Long Ash and we went to drive home and realised that wasn’t going to happen.’

She said the storm had really got going in the afternoon, taking everyone by surprise. “I battened down the hatches in the garden and tied down everything and about 11 o’clock I thought we have got away with it, but then it picked up later.

Taking the diversionary route back over Denham Bridge, she was surprised to come across a couple getting married, having their photos taken by the bridge as the winds whistled by.

“I felt sorry for them. You plan a wedding for years and then your wedding day is the day of the storms. She had a full white dress on.” She posted a photo of the fallen tree on social media to warn others.

“One person commented on the link and said that it must have just happened after she was riding past.”