A MAN lost two fingers and needed emergency surgery to save his hand after an horrific accident with his lawnmower.

John Farmer was adjusting its cutting level when his left hand slipped from the lever into the razor-sharp, rotating blades.

The quick-thinking former electronic consultant called his wife Nicola, then plunged his hand into a packet of frozen peas, and raised the wounded limb above his head.

"It was horrific, even though it didn't bleed a great deal at the time," explained the 61-year-old, of Preece Close, Malvern.

"I knew straight away it was serious, and it looked bad at the time, but I couldn't do anything else because the tops of my fingers had basically disappeared."

Mrs Farmer drove him to Worcestershire Royal Hospital, where he was quickly dubbed Captain Birdseye by nurses - because of the brand of frozen peas he had used - as he was seen by a surgeon.

Mrs Farmer then drove her husband to Birmingham's Selly Oak Hospital, where he was operated the day after the drama, last Tuesday.

The two middle fingers on his left hand were amputated because of the severity of his injuries. The tips of his other two fingers were also lost.

Now he is hoping life will return to normal.

"I'm certainly looking forwards not backwards," he said. "I feel okay now and I have come to terms with it."

But Nicola was still unable to sleep after the accident.

"I'm still in shock," said the 48-year-old, "but we'd both really like to thank the staff at Worcestershire Royal Hospital who were just fantastic.

"They were efficient and thoughtful, and were a very good team. While they were doing everything for John, they were also really helpful to me and made sure I was also being looked after. I really can't say enough positive things about them.

"The massive shock of the whole incident has thrown me, but John has been fantastic. He has always been a very positive person and, of course, it could have been so much worse."

SAFETY TIPS AND CASE STUDIES

Government statistics show nearly 4,000 people die each year in home accidents in the UK alone. And around 2.8 million gardeners and DIY-fanatics are injured.

Sixty per cent of those maimed or killed while working in the garden are men, and half involve children. Here are some safety tips:

Pay attention when using equipment, especially if it is electrical.

Never clean, lift, adjust or even check electrical garden tools while they are still plugged in. Always switch off and unplug first.

Never wash electrical garden equipment with water - switch off first, unplug and then wipe it with a cloth.

Never work in bare feet. Wear strong shoes or boots. Hover mowers and trimmers can easily drift and injure a foot.

If there are old materials such as asbestos and lead in your garden, get advice about handling it from your local authority or call in a professional.

Watch uneven paving, slippery paths and broken concrete - they can cause accidents.

Accidents happen when people take short cuts. Here are some of the more alarming stories:

While sawing through a tree bough with a chainsaw one gardener assumed as soon as the branch was cut free it would fall to the ground.

But when he cut the branch away, the heavier end pivoted upward. The chainsaw was knocked out of his hand and he was knocked out of the tree.

The man suffered back injuries from the fall.

A DIY enthusiast was using a dangerously old hammer to drive a nail into some wood when the head of the hammer flew off the handle hitting his small son, who was standing watching, in the face.

A 47-year-old man who wore protective clothing and positioned his ladder on a concrete base at the correct angle still failed to notice that the ladder's rubber feet had perished over the years.

He spent 18 months recovering after he fell while painting his house one bank holiday.

A 38-year-old man died from electrocution as he repaired his washing machine.

He had forgotten to unplug it from the mains before he began working on it.