A 12-year-old girl and her grandmother had a lucky escape after a tree suddenly fell right in front of them this afternoon.

Maureen Kelly, 48, had just picked up her granddaughter Kyla from school in Borehamwood and they were travelling along Green Street on their way home to Shenley.

All of a sudden, Ms Kelly saw a tree beginning to fall and she slammed on her brakes as quickly as she could. Thankfully her car stopped just as the large tree fell into the road, completely blocking it.

A car which had been travelling in front of Ms Kelly narrowly missed being hit.

Green Street is currently closed between Shenley and Borehamwood with drivers being diverted along Rowley Lane.

Following her narrow escape, Ms Kelly said: “When it happened I was shocked and in a bit of a panic.

“I had been slowing down as we were just entering the 30mph zone but I still had to brake hard. I’m just relieved really. My dad was definitely looking down on us.”

Ms Kelly reported the fallen tree before turning around. She and Kyla are safely at home.

It is the second major tree incident in Shenley today. An emergency road closure was in place for much of the day in Shenleybury due to an “unsafe tree”. The road is now open.

While on Sunday, a tree fell outside the Good Shepherd Church at the bottom of Black Lion Hill.

No one was hurt in any of the three incidents.

Expect delays between Shenley and Borehamwood. Police are at the scene in Green Street.