An estate agent has upped his estimate on the collective value of four homes by almost £1m after a nearby tree blew over in Storm Eleanor.

The 50ft-tall conifer fell during Storm Eleanor last week in well-to-do Sandbanks in Dorset, revealing a prized view of Poole Harbour.

Adrian Dunford of local firm Tailor Made estate agents was asked to assess the effect that the tree’s demise had had on the value of four luxury houses close by.

Luckily for the owners of the homes in question, the storm damage actually enhanced the value of their properties.

Dunford told local paper the Bournemouth Echo: “The tree was a large, significant conifer in an area of parkland gifted to the people of Poole.

“I would say there are four houses there that will see their value increase now.

“That’s the view everyone wants – it’s a frontline view straight out towards Brownsea Island and over Poole Harbour.”

The houses were each estimated to be worth around £1.8m before the storm and Dunford, who has sold two houses in the area recently, now values them at £2m.

One unnamed resident told the paper that when she opened the curtains and saw the fallen tree she thought “all my dreams have come true”.

Trees have often ended up as a point of contention in Sandbanks, which is renowned for being the most expensive seaside town in Britain. The average house price there last year was £664,051, according to a 2017 study by Halifax.

In 2011, two developers were found guilty of damaging trees which were blocking plans for three luxury homes worth £11m.

And in 2010, Poole Council prosecuted 15 people who were found to have taken down trees illegally, most of which were blocking a sea view.