A NEWPORT man who reported unsafe brickwork in the city centre was amazed when the council told him to repair it.

Gerald Rose, of Dewsland Park Road, saw vegetation growing out of a building on Charles Street and warned the council.

But instead of contacting the building's owner, the council sent Mr Rose a letter saying that unless he repaired it, legal action could be taken.

Mr Rose, a voluntary worker, said: "I didn't fully comprehend the letter at first. I read it twice and couldn't believe it.

"I spotted a tree growing out of the building while I was in The Red Lion. I thought it might be dangerous and reported it. I never thought I'd get the blame.

"I ignored the letter but an elderly person could have been really frightened by it."

The council surveyed the building and agreed the vegetation made the masonry unsafe.

A council spokeswoman said that Mr Rose had been contacted by mistake and that the correct owner has been notified. She said a planning officer telephoned Mr Rose to apologise.

She said Mr Rose's address had been mistakenly used because it appeared in correspondence about the matter from his Stow Hill ward councillor, Councillor Peter Davies.