A builder was left red-faced this festive season after vowing to put up her Christmas tree by herself – before falling off a chair and being flattened by it. 

CCTV footage shows Molly Aungier leaning to put the star on top of her eight-foot tree when the cast iron chair she stood on slips from under her and she plunges to the ground, which is covered in hard stone slabs.

To add insult to injury for the 24-year-old, she grabbed her Christmas tree on the way down, prompting it to capsize on top of her seconds later as she screamed for help.

Ms Aungier, who is from Rochford, Essex, said the accident left her with a bruised coccyx as well as side-splitting footage for the family to look back on.

She said: ‘We were putting our outdoor Christmas tree up and I thought I’d be an independent woman and try to do it myself.

CCTV footage shows Molly Aungier, from Rochford, Essex, leaning to put the star on top of her tree when the cast iron chair she’s stood on gives way and she plunges to the floor

Ms Aungier was trapped under the tree for three minutes before her boyfriend found her

‘We’d done the lights the day before then the star arrived in the post the next day and I thought I’d get on the chair and do it but this year it didn’t go to plan.

‘Before I put it up, I debated for ten minutes about whether to use the step ladder or the chair.

‘I’ve used that chair so many times before – it’s a cast iron chair so I thought it’ll be fine.

‘And this one time the leg just snapped off and the tree came with me.

‘I was just leaning and the whole chair collapsed.’

Ms Aungier shouted for help, prompting her 24-year-old partner Stuart Kerwin to come running downstairs from the shower.

Molly Aungier, 24, had to be rescued by her boyfriend, Stuart Kerwin, 24

Ms Aungier, a builder, was reaching up to put the star on the tree when the incident occurred

Ms Aungier pulled the eight-foot tree down with her as she fell onto the stone paving

He managed to lift the mammoth tree to free his injured girlfriend who was stuck under the branches for three minutes before being released.

Ms Aungier said: ‘I called for my other half but he was in the shower. He came out and picked the tree up from on top of me.

‘It didn’t hurt for a couple of days but then the third day my back started aching. I’ve bruised my coccyx I think.

‘We’ve got CCTV round the whole house so we knew it was on camera. We all found it hilarious. Mum said it’s made everyone’s year.

‘The star stayed on the whole time so at least we don’t have to put it on again.’