A TEN tonne steel plate dropped from a crane at a Chepstow firm yesterday crushing a man’s arm, according to emergency services.

The Mabey Bridge employee was working at the firm’s Station Road site when the accident happened.

Emergency services were called to the scene just before 9am and provided treatment.

A spokeswoman for the South Western Ambulance Service said: "We were called at 8.51am on August 21 to Station Road Chepstow. The patient was a male in his early thirties.

"His arm had been crushed by falling steel dropped from a crane.

"He was taken to Frenchay Hospital by ambulance. An air ambulance was called to the scene, but he was taken by land ambulance.”

People nearby reported a lot of activity at the firm, a specialist supplier of high quality steel bridging, infrastructure, wind turbine towers and heavy plated structural steelwork to markets across the globe.

A witness, who did not want to be named, said: "There was loads of police, fire and ambulances here this morning. The place was crawling with them. They were all up Station Road. I feel very sorry for the person involved."

Both the fire service and ambulance service confirmed the ten tonne plate had fallen on the man’s arm.

But a spokeswoman for Mabey Bridge said the man was responding well to treatment.

She said: "An employee in Chepstow was taken to hospital this morning, following attention to a fracture. We are expecting him to be discharged this afternoon.

"The business has an enviable safety record, having recently been awarded a gold award from RoSPA for its safety standards."

Fire engines from Chepstow and Malpas were sent to the scene but recalled before arrival as they were not needed.

The Health and Safety Executive said it had not been made aware of the incident.