A woman described her shock as a crane on the back of a lorry crashed into her home.

Cynthia Fouokes said the impact felt like an earthquake.

She was in the shower when the lorry toppled over as it delivered building materials to a site next door.

The crane on the back struck the roof and chimney, crushing brickwork and taking tiles off. It toppled over as the lorry became unbalanced and turned onto its side.

The accident happened at 9.15am yesterday when the driver was lifting the back to unload gravel at The Heights, Findon Valley, near Worthing.

Mrs Fouokes said: "It was terrifying. There was a loud noise and the whole house shook.

"I put a towel on and went downstairs to see what had happened. When I got over the shock I made cups of tea for everybody.

"I have five horrendous cracks in the dining room wall."

The driver was standing far enough away from the lorry not to be injured but was badly shaken.

The crane pulled tiles off the roof, wrecked the guttering and fascia and crushed brickwork.

The delivery was for a site next to Mrs Fouokes' house, where a new house is being built.

Police have passed details of the incident to the Health and Safety Executive to investigate.

A building control officer from Worthing Borough Council said the house was still safe to live in.

A spokesman for Build Center's parent company Wolseley UK, which owns the lorry, said: "We are investigating the cause."