´óÏó´«Ã½

A lumberjack who was crushed by a falling tree was not due to work on the day he died, an inquest has heard.

Ben Thomas, 24, of Aberbargoed, had been due to go to an agricultural show on 15 August 2017.

But he changed his plans when he picked up a new chainsaw and was offered work in Sirhowy Forest, near Cwmfelinfach in Caerphilly county.

"He loved his job", Mark Whitehead, the manager of felling company Tree Finesse, told the inquest in Newport.

It was also revealed the tree that crushed Mr Thomas had been leaning against the tree he had just cut.

Mr Thomas joined the Pontypool company as a contractor in May 2017, having qualified with a so-called "felling ticket" in January.

Mr Whitehead said he had conducted a walk-through of the area of forest to be cut and held a "toolbox discussion" with Mr Thomas and fellow contractor Elliot Wilmer on the day of the incident.

The only hazards they saw, he said, was a mobile phone mast and an area of footpath and forest track open to the public, which would need to be supervised during the felling.

Mr Whitehead decided he and Mr Wilmer would act as banksmen, ensuring safety on the forest track around 50m further down the slope while Mr Thomas felled trees alone.

Mr Whitehead said he did not think Mr Thomas was excited or distracted by using the new saw and, despite qualifying seven months earlier, was confident the work was within his capabilities.

He estimated Mr Thomas had felled 15,000 trees during his time as a subcontractor, though there was no quota.

"He was safe, keen and good. Really, really good," Mr Whitehead said of Mr Thomas.

The inquest jury was told Mr Thomas could not be closely and directly supervised because industry guidance states felling trees is a "one-person job".

At times visibly distressed, Mr Whitehead told the hearing that after hearing Mr Thomas shout "I'm finished", he and Mr Wilmer put on their ear defenders and Mr Wilmer began cutting logs on the forest path.

But about five minutes later, they took off the ear defenders and heard the sound of a chainsaw idling. When they ran up the bank, they found Mr Thomas trapped under a fallen tree.

One of the country's leading forestry and tree works experts then told the inquest the larch tree that killed Mr Thomas had been leaning against the tree he had just cut down.

Martin Lennon was brought in by the Health and Safety Executive to assist its investigation.

He said marks on the tree which crushed Mr Thomas indicated it had been rubbing against the tree that had been cut at a height of about 4m (13ft) for "quite some time".

"It would have been visible, it would have been evident," said Mr Lennon.

The inquest continues.