A VALE man's mobile phone almost certainly saved his life when he became trapped under a fallen tree.

Alan Bent, aged 48, from Bricklehampton, suffered serious injuries when part of an ash tree fell on him in a remote field off Hill Lane, Elmley Castle, at 10.13am.

Mr Bent, a self-employed forester on the Elmley Castle estate, was working on the tree, which was believed to have blown down during storms earlier in the week.

Despite sustaining crush injuries to his lower abdomen, the married father of two used his mobile phone and call for help.

Firefighters from Evesham, Pershore, and Cheltenham arrived and used an all-terrain vehicle to reach the scene. They used heavy pressure airbags to lift the tree before the air ambulance took him to Cheltenham General Hospital.

Station officer Steve Fellows said: "He was lucky he had his mobile phone on him, because he was working alone.

"His entrapment was extensive and we believe the tree weighed between five and seven tonnes.

"We used winches, chains, straps, lines and airbags to free him before moving him onto a stretcher."

A spokeswoman for Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service said they received an emergency call from a mobile phone at 10.13am, telling them there was a man trapped beneath a tree in a field with "severe lower limb injuries".

A spokesman for Cheltenham General Hospital said yesterday Mr Bent's condition was "stable".

Close friend Timothy Lee said he had been to visit Mr Bent in hospital and said that he was in good humour and good spirits.

He said: "He has suffered a broken leg but his protective gear was vital in limiting his injuries."

He also said that the mobile phone was "absolutely crucial" in getting the emergency services to the scene quickly.