A 20-tonne piece of machinery fell off the back of a lorry and smashed into the side of a house in Shropshire.

Villagers today said it was a miracle no-one was killed in the accident, which demolished the lounge of the 300-year-old property in Welshampton – sparking fears it could collapse due to the vibration caused by passing traffic.

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Builder Roger Bailey, who lives at the detached cottage, was playing bowls at the time and returned to find the machinery embedded in the corner of his home.

Police were forced to close off a long section of the main A495 Ellesmere to Whitchurch road following the smash on Saturday afternoon.

Structural engineers were called after concerns were raised that the vibration of passing traffic would cause the whole building to collapse.

A recovery truck was brought in to recover the metal pressing equipment on Saturday night.

Mr Bailey was midway through a bowls match in Chester when he received a call from the police.

“The crash smashed a glass cabinet containing china figures to smithereens and has also ruined the carpet, a CD player and the fire grate and the television was knocked out,” said the 68-year-old widower.

“It is the fourth time in about 10 years the house has been hit – the last time it demolished the middle room and I was at home, but I was not hurt.

“My grandchildren come and play here and a lot of people, some in groups of 15 to 20 walk along the road,” he said.

“If there had been somebody about they could have been killed.”

The house has now been shored up.

One villager, who declined  to be named, said: “It is a miracle nobody was hurt, but it has caused a lot of damage to the house.”

Crews from Ellesmere, Wem and Wellington fire stations attended the incident after receiving an emergency call at 3.20pm on Saturday. Ambulance crews also attended, but stood down when it emerged no-one had been hurt.

Long diversions were set up around Welshampton through outlying villages for motorists trying to get to and from Whitchurch and Ellesmere.

By Iain St John and Melvyn Morgan