A quick-thinking head teacher saved a member of staff and his son from being crushed under a tree as he drove to school.

Technology teacher Richard Carter was about to pull into Uckfield Community College when he was flagged down by the college head.

Seconds later a 50 foot tree fell yards in front of his Volvo Estate.

College principal Craig Pamphilon, who has been hailed as a hero, said: "I did what anyone else would do in my position."

The dramatic scene unfolded at about 8am yesterday at the college in Downsview Crescent, Uckfield.

Staff and students had been warned the tree in neighbouring Lime Tree Avenue, had been leaning as a result of Monday's gale force winds when Mr Pamphilon went to investigate on Wednesday morning.

He said: "I was a bit complacent. The weather was nothing like it had been on Monday. As I walked outside I met some people who told me two roads were blocked in the town because of falling trees.

"That sharpened my mind. So I got to the top of the road by the main entrance."

Mr Pamphilon watched the tree for five minutes when he saw it begin to lean towards the drive.

The principal leaped into action, racing under the path of the falling tree to the college entrance to flag down Mr Carter and son Sam Carter-Dickins, 17, in their car.

He said: "I realised it was coming down fast so I ran past it to the other side where the car was about to pull in. It was a reflex reaction.

"I saw there were cars and people walking in. I knew if I didn't act then it could fall on them and kill someone."

After the tree landed safely in the drive, a shaken Mr Carter got out and shook Mr Pamphilon's hand.

Richard Carter said: "It was a close shave. If Craig hadn't stopped me I would have been under that tree with my son.

"I still haven't quite taken it all in. I've since thanked Craig for saving my life. It was an incredibly brave thing to do."

The row of lime trees where the fallen tree stood has long been the subject of contentious debate.

There is disagreement over who is responsible for them because different sections were allocated to different house owners when the estate was built.

The college recently carried out safety work on some of the trees. But Lime Aid, a body campaigning to restore Lime Tree Avenue, has suggested that it was neglect of the tree that caused the potential disaster.

Lime Aid secretary Mike Benians said: "The unexpected loss of this tree shows the importance of annual checks being carried out as part of a carefully planned maintenance programme - something that's unlikely to happen while the Avenue remains in disparate ownership.

"We believe a way has to be found of helping the owners and others with responsibility for the maintenance of the Avenue to bring it up to a standards where it could be formally adopted by East Sussex County Council."