THE day after a 20 tonne tree smashed into a block of flats in Borehamwood, tree surgeons removed it in a carefully planned operation.

Workman spent hours meticulously setting up cranes before hoisting a massive section of the tree out of the roof of Daniel Raphael's home on Sunday, May 1.

The 28-year-old barely escaped with his life when branches and debris rained down on him the previous evening.

Building surveyors deemed the damage to the building so severe that they asked all eight residents to find other accommodation.

It is unknown whether the building will have to be knocked down.