**CO88942: being taken today. Please leave room as Arge has taken a few ** **mbs barry day 1-4 **

A FAMILY woke to find a tree had smashed their two cars and pulled down their phone line and roof tiles.

Barry Day, store manager at Morrisons in Dovercourt spent Christmas eve morning literally picking up the pieces after the strong gales.

“It was just after 1am the wind was going,” said Barry, who lives more than 40 miles away from his job, in Post Office Road, Woodham Mortimer, near Maldon.

“We heard a really loud crash. I ran downstairs and opened the front door and there were branches, wind and rain.

“I couldn’t get out of the front door.

“The tree was about 10ft from the house and hit the corner of the house and two cars."