HIGH winds battered Gwent across the weekend with multiple fallen trees causing disruption throughout the area.

A large conifer came down onto the back of three houses on Dean Street in Maindee, Newport, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Les and Sharon Collette, who live in the middle house effected by the tree were in at the time but were not injured.

Mr Collette, 62, said: "My wife and I were in bed when we heard an almighty bang. I though it was the cat knocking something over outside.

"The tree is leaning on our roof, we can't get access to the back door. It's knocked my neighbours guttering off but we won't really see the damage to our house until its gone."

He added: "The emergency services told me not to use the bedroom at the back because that's where the tree is leaning."

The tree is currently resting between the Collette's property and their next door neighbours, the Hill family.

Jonathan, 34, and Joanna Hill, 29, and their children Morgan, 10 and Joshua, six, were in the house when it happened.

Mrs Hill said: "It's damaged the extension, there's a hole in the roof. The tree is resting on the top of the house.

"We we're watching a a film when it happened. The children slept through it."

Fire crews from Maindee attended the scene at 12.46am along with the police.

Mr Collette said: "They and the council have said there's nothing they can do because it's private houses.

"We're just waiting for the owner of the tree to get back to us about insurance."

A 60ft conifer tree also fell into the garden of a Newport woman during the early hours of Friday.

Carla French, 24, was in bed at her home in Aubrey Hames Close, Newport, when the tree fell, damaging her fence and garden as well as her neighbour's.

Miss French said she was just left relieved that the tree didn’t fall onto her house.

“My garden is absolutely ruined,” she said. “But it could’ve been a lot worse as I think we’re lucky it didn’t fall onto the house.

“Nobody has been injured but on another day you don’t know what could’ve happened.

“The tree has taken up most of my garden as well as the neighbours; it’s ruined my fence and snapped my washing line.

“There’s absolutely no chance we can move it ourselves so we’ve called the council and they’re sending someone out on Monday to remove it.”

There were fallen trees all across Gwent including one blocking Belmont Hill in Caerleon and one near Church Lane in Brynmawr. South Wales Fire and Rescue service also attended to a collision on the A467 Northbound Bassaleg where a car had collided with a tree.

The Argus reported on Saturday how there had been flooding in the Monmouth area but the Environmental Agency have relaxed their orange alert for the River Wye and Monnow now with winds and showers due to ease.

The Met office has predicted light rain for today and wind speeds of up to 16 mph. Showers will proceed until Wednesday when it is forecasted to be dry.