A465 lorry crash: 'There was a rush of air and dust then silence'

Bryony Francis and husband John Clark's 120-year-old cottage was wrecked in the crash

A couple have talked of feeling lucky to be alive after a forestry lorry smashed into their 120-year-old cottage leaving a gaping hole in it.

Bryony Francis was making lunch when the truck hit the Monmouthshire building sending its logs flying.

"There was a rush of air and dust which hit my face and then everything went silent. I had no idea what had happened," Ms Francis said.

A man who was injured in the crash in Llangua on Friday, is in hospital.

Bryony was making lunch but John was out at the time of the accident

Seconds after the crash on the A465, Ms Francis said she went upstairs to find that the front of the cottage was missing and there was a clear view of the road outside.

She fears her husband John Clark, 53, who would probably have been sitting in the front room but was not in at time, would have died in the crash.

"I had just gone to make lunch when there was a massive bang, the doors slammed and the coats were knocked off their hooks," Ms Francis, 51, continued.

• A465 closed as lorry crashes into house near Abergavenny

"I tried to open the door from the kitchen into the front room but it wouldn't open so I knew the ceiling had come down.

"I went up the stairs, opened the door and could see the front and side walls had gone.

"It looked like a bombsite and there were tree trunks, about 30 to 40, everywhere."

Structural engineers are assessing the property, near Abergavenny, and the injured man is not believed to be in a life-threatening condition.

"It is still very unreal and a total shock. But we are very lucky," Ms Francis said.

"If my husband had been at home he probably would have been sitting in the front room and we could have been looking for a body today."

Structural engineers are assessing the property

Gwent Police said the accident at about 13:30 BST caused "substantial damage" and neighbours were evacuated from their homes as a precaution.

"We have no idea what is going to happen now," Ms Francis said.

"There is a structural engineer coming out to assess the damage and we are not allowed back in the house.

"Thankfully, we have got a great network of friends here and we have got somewhere to stay."

Traffic Wales had thought the road could be closed for a "considerable period of time", but it was reopened to traffic on Sunday.