A RETIRED council official and a charity shop manager have spoken of their miraculous escapes after trees fell on busy roads during storms last week.

Strong winds last Wednesday saw a number of trees damaged across the country, including in Tranent, Pencaitland and Haddington.

David Williamson was travelling home in his Volkswagen Scirocco when a tree smashed onto the roof his car on Haddington’s Dunbar Road.

Incredibly, the former head of planning with Midlothian Council emerged unscathed.

He said: “I was driving out of Haddington past National Tyres and Autocare when this massive tree came crashing down unexpectedly.

“It was out of my vision, out of my line of sight.

“A couple of seconds later and it would have hit the road behind me, a couple of seconds before and it would have fallen in front of me.

“It was in a garden above the road level and it was coming from a greater height.

“It is just very fortunate that no kids or pedestrians were walking along – they would not have had a chance.”

The car was written off but Mr Williamson, of Dunbar’s Rosebery Place, was uninjured.

He added: “There is not a scratch on me – I’m very fortunate.

“Somebody must have been looking out for me.”

Staff from the nearby garage came rushing out after the incident, which took place at about 12.30pm.

David Simpson, manager at the business, said staff were working when they heard “a crash” and ran out to see what happened.

They began lifting branches out of the way and were surprised that Mr Williamson, who is chairman of the Scottish Flag Trust, which is based at Athelstaneford, was uninjured.

Mr Simpson added: “He was really lucky his car has protected him.”

The road was closed until after 4pm as the tree was shifted from the busy road, which links the Abbotsview Junction of the A1 to Haddington town centre.

Meanwhile, Pat Lemmon was travelling home to Haddington after visiting her mum, Mary Callaghan, at Tyneholm Stables Care Home in Pencaitland last Wednesday.

However, her route was halted when a tree crashed across the village’s main street at about 2.30pm.

She said: “I think we missed it by less than a minute because we were one of the first cars there to turn around.

“The leaves were still going everywhere when we arrived.

“We were heading towards to Haddington after visiting my mum at the nursing home.

“We stopped at the traffic lights at the bridge and when we came along the street we saw the leaves everywhere.”

Pat, who is manager of the Haddington branch of Oxfam, was in a black Hyundai alongside her brother Eamonn when the tree fell near the village’s bowling green.

The road remained open, with residents helping to clear the tree, thought to be a willow tree, from the road.

Pat said: “We got quite a fright.

“If the lights had not been at red, who knows?

“Somebody was on my shoulder.”