And she has pointed the finger at council officials who she feels ignored her warnings after a branch fell from the same tree around 18 months ago.

The 81-year-old's bungalow in in Granborough Court, Loxley Way, suffered structural damage when a large branch split from the trunk and landed on the roof at around 6.15pm on Sunday.

She said: "I'm lucky to be here. It was monstrous. I thought it was a thunderbolt. I really didn't think it was the tree.

"It was a terrible experience and I am still suffering from the shock."

Mrs Caswell said she had worried about the ash since she moved into the house 28 years ago.

Two weeks ago she noticed pigeons had stopped roosting in its branches, but it never occurred to her the tree might be about to fall.

The former Flavel worker and her dog Lucy are currently staying with neighbours after officials told her it could be unsafe to return.

Mrs Caswell said she had found it difficult to sleep since the bough crashed onto her roof.

Although she praised the council workers who cared for her in the hours after the tree fell, she believes her earlier warnings went unheeded.

She said: "I have lived here 28 years with the fear of that tree falling down. I have always felt it was dangerous. The council should listen to its tenants because we know the area."

Warwick District Council owns the houses and is responsible for the safety of trees. Its property manager Sean McCabrey said: "Our tenants' safety and welfare is paramount.

"The house suffered slight structural damage and we will be having it surveyed to see the extent of that.

"We are making arrangements to get the tenant back into her property as soon as possible and we are finding temporary accommodation in the interim."

Mr McCabrey said the tree had been removed and there would be an investigation into why the branch had fallen.