A huge Sycamore tree came unexpectedly crashing down this morning and caused complete chaos at an Abergavenny retirement complex.

The tree which stand’s in St. Mary’s Churchyard seemingly split in two and one part of it fell like deadweight into the gardens of Riverside Court located in Swan Meadows.

Thankfully no-one was hurt but it could have been a different story according to resident Brain Squire who claims that the church authorities have been reportedly warned about the tree in question.

Mr Squire, who lives on the first floor of the complex told the Chronicle, “It was about midday. I was sat reading the newspaper and all of a sudden I heard an almighty noise. It was like a clap of thunder. I looked up and saw there were all these branches pressing through my patio doors. I thought, ‘what the heck?’”

Upon further investigation Mr Squire saw that the communal garden was now almost completely obscured by the tree which had fallen without warning.

The 82-year-old who is originally from Swansea said, “I had the shock of my life. The back garden had been transformed in the blink of a eye. You sometimes expect branches to fall during a storm but for a whole tree to topple when the weather is as still as a mill pond beggars belief.”

The fallen Sycamore had destroyed a section of the garden fence and torn through the guttering of Mr Squire’s property.

“Luckily my patio doors were open or it would have smashed through them as well,” explained Mr Squire.

The couple in the property below Mr Squire are now prevented from entering the garden due to the tree completely obscuring their patio doors, but as Mr Squire pointed out, “The main thing is no-one was in the garden at the time. Fortunately we had the gardeners here yesterday and they were at work for a long time. I dread to think what would have happened if they were here today. It just happened so quickly.”

According to Mr Squire, himself and fellow residents have been in touch with the church authorities for at least ten months, warning them of the potential danger the tree poised.

Mr Squire explained, “You could see from the state of it that the tree had needed cutting back for some time. The branches were overhanging our garden and to my mind it just didn’t look stable.”

A Church in Wales spokesperson told the Chronicle, “We are very sorry indeed that a tree from the church grounds has collapsed and caused damage to the neighbouring flats and we are now in the process of clearing it up.

“We had acted on concerns about the tree’s safety earlier this summer and commissioned a report from a tree consultant. It advised that the tree should be trimmed and dead wood removed but there was no indication that it was in danger of falling down.

“As the tree had a protection order on it we had to apply for permission to do the work from Monmouthshire County Council. We applied in June and were still waiting for that permission when regrettably the tree fell.

“We are happy to offer compensation for the cost of any repairs to the residents’ property.”

Since the incident tee surgeons have been to the site to clear the fallen tree and are taking necessary steps to safeguard the area from further incidents.