Marriage proposal goes horribly wrong

A crane which crashed into the roof of a house is seen following an unusual marriage proposal. Photo / AP

It was supposed to be a romantic proposal that would sweep his Juliet off her feet.

But this hapless Romeo's plan backfired when the crane he hired to raise him up to his unsuspecting girlfriend's bedroom window toppled over and crashed through her neighbour's roof.

The unlucky man had hoped to serenade his lover in true Shakespeare style from the basket of the cherry picker before popping the question.

Instead, before he could ask his girlfriend to marry him he had to clamber down from the roof after the crane crashed over mid performance in the Dutch town of Ijsselstein.

The machine smashed a large hole in the roof of the neighbouring property and forced the evacuation of six flats.

Despite the less than perfect execution his girlfriend reportedly still said 'yes,' according to the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.

The man was believed to have escaped without serious injury.

After speaking with the police the newly engaged couple headed to Paris to escape their neighbours and celebrate their happy news.

There was further drama at the scene after their departure, when attempts to right the stricken crane saw it fall again and further damage the building.

The town's mayor was believed to be at the scene today after the building was declared unsafe.

- The Daily Mail