A PENSIONER had a lucky escape after a 30-foot tall tree fell metres from where he was standing in his Rhiwderin garden.

Melvyn Matthews, 70, of Springfield Lane, was going back into his house for lunch at about 1.30pm on Tuesday after doing some gardening when the silver birch tree fell.

The tree is one of several silver birch trees which have grown in the last 23 years at the back of Mr Matthews’garden on land belonging to nearby farmer David Kempe.

Mr Matthews' wife Margaret, 69, who was in the couple’s conservatory at the time, heard the tree fall with a loud thud as it snapped three quarters of the way up its trunk and squashed the garden’s flowers.

She said they are worried about the same thing happening again especially as they have grandchildren who visit them.

Mrs Matthews said: “He was feet away from it when it came down. We’re just worried this could happen again.”

Mrs Matthews said her husband was fortunately not injured but was a little shaken up.

A tree preservation order was made on the trees in 2008 and was confirmed last year.

Mrs Matthews said: “The order is fine but I can’t see why they’ve put it on when they’re not going to maintain it. It’s a fire hazard as children play up there.”

A spokeswoman for Newport City Council said that although the tree was on private land, a council woodland officer did carry out an inspection after being told it had fallen.

She said it was discovered that the tree was healthy and that there would have been no indication that this could happen.

She said that as a gesture of goodwill, the council has offered to remove the tree from the garden if the residents want them to.

Mr Kempe told the Argus yesterday that he was going to attempt to move the tree today.