‘Hand-me-down’ bench in Honiton survives after being hit by a fallen tree.

Honiton residents’ ‘posh’ bench had a lucky escape when a tree fell on it during a storm last week.

The bench, sited between Ashleigh Road and Willowdale, which is believed to be a hand-me-down from Sidmouth’s promenade, was left unscathed.

Ashleigh Road resident Tony Simpson, who spotted the fallen tree, said: “The tree must have crashed down in the gales.

“When I saw it, you could not see the bench.

“The tree was gathered all around it and the main trunk was being held by the bench.”

The tree and the area around the bench was quickly cleared by East Devon District Council last Friday.

The removal of the bench after it was vandalised and dumped in the River Gissage sparked an uproar from residents.

But, as an early Christmas present, the district council gave them a second-hand seat and a pot of paint, and it seems Santa’s hands have been busy as the bench has been given a new lease of life and new lick of paint.