GAS workers are set to dig up a man's back garden - even though he's just finished a £1,500 makeover.

Stunned Colin Pilot, of Oakdale Path, St Dials, Cwmbran, was told by Amec contract workers working for gas supplier Transco that they needed to get to pipes which run through his garden for maintenance work.

But Mr Pilot, 40, who works for Network Rail, claims they did not tell him they were coming.

He was even more furious to discover workers had already been into his garden while he was out at work and spray painted a yellow cross on his lawn to mark where they intended to dig.

"I'm absolutely devastated," said Mr Pilot. "If they had told me they were coming I wouldn't have bothered to start the work."

Transco said it told all residents work would be starting but Mr Pilot says he only found out when Amec workers knocked on his front door. They want to dig two 4ft-square, 6ft-deep holes.

He said: "They told me they needed to renew the gas pipes and would have to dig up the back garden.

"I told them to clear off because they hadn't warned me they were coming and I've just spent two weeks laying a new patio. So they told me they would cut my supply off. I'm livid."

A Transco spokeswoman apologised to Mr Pilot and said his gas supply would continue as normal.

She said residents were told of the work "a while ago" but because Mr Pilot is a new resident he missed out. She said Transco are looking into their processes so in future no one misses important information.

The spokeswoman added: "We fully appreciate the inconvenience our temporary presence will cause to Mr Pilot, but would like to assure him that this planned work is vital gas safety-related work that we are required by the Health and Safety Executive to carry out.

"We always carry out our replacement and subsequent reinstatement work to a high standard and we expect this project to be no different."