When a branch pierced through the roof of Aaron Waterer’s motorhome in the early hours of Storm Ciarán yesterday (November 2) the damage was not just to a vehicle but to his full-time home.

Aaron had been sleeping in camper in Callis Court Road, Broadstairs,  when he got up for a drink of water at the same time as the branch pierced through the roof and on to the bed where he had been laying moments before.

He said: “I had literally just woken up and decided to jump out of bed and get a glass of water when it happened.”

He is currently sofa surfing at the home of his friend Nicholas but needs to repair the roof and replace waterlogged items, such as the bed.

The 47-year-old, who served five years in the Army, has been living in his motorhome for the last four months after making a decision to go mobile so he can save for a deposit on a home of his own.

The maintenance engineer is insured but says a full claim will push up the cost of his cover.

He said: “The tree is still in (the motorhome) at the moment so I have got to look at the damage and try and get the tree out. The bed is soaked through because of all the rain coming in so I will have to replace that.

“I was caught up in the rental market where I was paying nearly £1000 per month. I’d given the landlord some £50k over the last five years so I decided I was going to put money aside, move into my motorhome for five or six years and save up my deposit.

“The motorhome has everything I need, shower/toilet, sink, kitchen, I can live pretty much ok.

“It has MOT and tax so I can park anywhere. I park different places every night and I don’t go in front of houses.”

Aaron, who is also currently studying an engineering degree with Open University, says he hopes repairs to the motorhome won’t take too long  so that life can “go back to normal.”

Friend Michael Paul has set up a fundraising page in a bid to help Aaron get his home fixed.

On the page Michael says: “In one fell swoop, Aaron’s home was destroyed by a tree.

“As storm Ciaran raged on, the remaining part of the tree then collapsed onto the vehicle, leaving whatever chance of salvaging Aaron’s home gone with the wind.

“Aaron is studying an engineering degree at university to further his career and as part of this process, took to mobile living so he was able to finance this endeavour. Now the loss of his home may jeopardize this.

“I am a life-long friend of this Army veteran and want to help him back on the road.”

Yesterday’s storm hit parts of Kent, including Thanet, with gusts of 85-100 mph hammering the coast. Thanet experienced some damage to buildings, fallen trees and branches and disruption to rail services.

Find the fundraising page by clicking here