An army veteran narrowly missed a branch that pierced the roof of his motorhome during Storm Ciaran, as he had got out of bed just moments earlier.

But Aaron Waterer says his lucky escape doesn’t feel so fortunate, as he has had to move out of his wrecked home thanks to the volatile weather which has hit the county.

The 47-year-old had been parked outside The Lanthorne pub in Callis Court Road, Broadstairs, when a branch from a nearby tree fell shortly after 2am on Thursday morning.

Completely piercing the roof, the branch then hovered above the bed – which Mr Waterer left just moments before to have a glass of water – with the tree later completely coming down on the vehicle.

Despite the good timing, Mr Waterer said: “People keep telling me how lucky I am, but it doesn’t feel that way right now.

“You can tell by the photo, the way the covers are thrown back, that there was exactly where I was sleeping.

“Maybe it’s not quite sunk in yet, to me right now it’s just a thing that’s happened.”

Mr Waterer moved into his motorhome four months ago after growing fed up with the renting market – having worked out he’d forked out more than £50,000 over the past five years.

Before yesterday’s incident, he said he had found the change to be fairly easy but did note the transition into winter was likely to be where he struggled.

Working as a maintenance engineer in Manston alongside studying for university, Mr Waterer will try and tackle repair works himself though is waiting on his insurance company to pay out.

He expects to stay in the St Peter’s area with friends for at least a few weeks, with the tree needing to be removed by pub landlords. He will then fully assess the damage. A gofundme page has been started by a friend, to “help him back on the road.”

Mr Waterer said: “The tree is being removed Sunday but where the bed is right underneath it’s sodden, there’s water damage so that needs to be replaced,” he said.

“The response from locals has been great, some people have said why park underneath a tree in the storm but that’s the only tree in the road that fell down.

“That might be why it doesn’t feel like good luck! It’s a one-in-a-million chance to park under a tree that falls down and a one-in-a-trillion chance to get out of bed at the right time.”