A man from IJsselstein got more than he bargained for when he ordered a crane to help him surprise his girlfriend with a marriage proposal.

The man planned to sit in a skip which would be dangled in front of his girlfriend’s window. There he would ask her to marry him.

But the stunt on Saturday morning went wrong and the skip began to tip, causing the controller on the ground to try to right it. The crane then tipped over, crashing into the roof and causing a gaping hole in the neighbour’s attic. The crane wheels and supports also damaged a neighbour’s car.

The would-be fiancé was not injured, nor the neighbours, but there were further problems ahead. A second crane was brought in by specialists to try to remove the original one from the roof an hour later, the AD says. But that effort also went wrong, and it again hit the roof, creating an even bigger hole, the Telegraaf reports.

Three homes in the terrace of houses have been so badly damaged the residents were told to leave.

Officials are now trying to work out what went wrong. The three homes which were damaged will also be inspected on Monday to see when their occupants can return home.

IJsseltstein mayor Marianne Kallen described events as a ‘tragedy, given a marriage proposal has gone so badly wrong’. However, luckily no one was hurt, she said.

According to the Telegraaf, the marriage proposal was accepted.

Watch the video