Traffic chaos this morning in Clapton Common pic: The Local People Flickr

Traffic around Clapton Common descended into chaos on Tuesday morning, as emergency services attempted to remove a tree from the road.

Pedestrians and commuters narrowly missed injury at around 7am today after strong winds knocked down a tree across a zebra crossing on the junction with Chardmore Road.More than 12 buses were forced to park up on either side of the obstruction as they waited for tree surgeons and fire brigades to remove the tree by chopping it into manageable pieces with chainsaws.

Police officers assisted in the two-and-a-half- hour clean-up operation, which also included the removal of a damaged lamppost to make the area safe.

The road has now been reopened.

Laura Carter, 23, a Shoreditch resident, spoke to the Hackney Gazette at the scene. “The tree had fallen across the road from the garden of a property that has been converted into flats. It was a big tree so it blocked the whole road – it’s lucky no one was hurt”.