A family told of their shock after a 40ft tree crushed their car while they were sitting in traffic.

Elizabeth and Greg Hobbs and their two children George and Harriet were on their way home after a day out shopping when a tree toppled in high winds and smashed through the windscreen of their BMW saloon.

The family escaped without injury following the incident, which happened near the Victoria and Albert Museum in south Kensington yesterday afternoon.

Luckily for the Hobbs', the tree first crashed into a phonebox, lessening the impact of the blow on their car.

Mrs Hobbs, 36, from Stratford-upon-Avon, said: “We were all speechless. There was broken glass everywhere. It was quite windy, but the tree must have been unstable.

“It's a miracle that none of us were hurt. We come shopping to London regularly and sometimes we take our convertible. Thank goodness we were in the big sturdy car instead.”