That was close! Moment cyclist narrowly escapes being crushed by a tree as it crashes down onto London street

A cyclist cheated death by inches when a tree collapsed into a residential street in south-east London. 

The shocking incident was captured by local resident Phillip Lam's CCTV camera at 5.15pm on Wednesday, July 28, in a side street street near Old Kent Road. 

Mr Lam only spotted the narrow escape when he checked the footage about five minutes after the tree toppled.  

The video shows the cyclist approaching. As they pass under the tree, which is already overhanging the street, the branches and trunk can be seen tipping towards them.

The rider is barely clear of the last branches when the tree crashes down, sending up a small cloud of debris.

After slowing down to survey the scene, the cyclist turns right and then continues on their journey. 

A cyclist nearly was hit by a collapsing tree in Bermondsey, south-east London, yesterday

The moment was captured from Phillip Lam's CCTV footage at 5.15pm

The fallen tree sent up a small cloud of debris as it fell right behind the cyclist 

He said he believed the tree collapsed after recent heavy rain destabilised it.

'It damaged a couple parked cars,' he added. 'The police called the council to remove the tree.' 

Over the past few weeks, rain has battered the UK, particularly in London where many areas have seen severe flooding.  

The tree damaged a couple parked cars and police called the council to get the tree removed 

The collapsed tree was believed to be a result of the heavy rain that has been battering the UK over the past few weeks