A man has had a narrow escape after a tree fell on him while he was cycling home from work.

Firefighters used specialist cutting equipment and a hand saw to release the middle-aged man from under a large tree on a footpath off Cowdray Avenue.

The man is believed to have been cycling along the footpath when the tree fell on him.

A crew from Colchester worked alongside paramedics from ambulance service paramedics as they first stabilised the tree before cutting the casualty free.

The man was released by 8.08pm and left in the care of the Ambulance Service. The area has been cordoned off by police.

Leading firefighter Gavin Ellis from Colchester Fire Station explained: “The man was cycling home from work when about half a tonne of branch - the width of an average man - fell 15-20 feet down on him from a huge tree about 50-60 feet high.

“An inch or two either way and it would have killed him but fortunately the bike took the impact and the frame was crushed while he was thrown slightly off, ending up trapped under the branch and suffering quite significant injuries.

“Ambulance paramedics stabilised him and he was conscious while we worked to cut him free. Once released, he was taken to hospital.

“There was no significant weather that would explain why the branch fell at that moment - it looks like it may have been rotten so police have cordoned off the area and we have asked Colchester Council to take over to ensure there is no further danger to people using the footpath.”