A NEST of five baby blue tits had a very narrow escape when their tree was cut down with a chainsaw, missing their heads by just one centimetre.

A tree surgeon cutting down the huge tree checked for birds, but had no idea there was a nest inside the trunk when he started sawing through it.

The tiny birds were only discovered once it had been cut down, with the chainsaw only narrowly missing the animals.

Their lucky escape happened at a property in Sedlescombe on Thursday, May 12.

When rescuers arrived, they were handed a round of the tree trunk that had the nest of blue tits inside.

One of the birds died, but the other five were all alive and well, rescuers said.

The five nestling blue tits were taken to East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) casualty centre at Whitesmith and moved to an incubator.

Hev Clarke, one of the WRAS rescuers, said: “We were amazed at how close the saw blades must have come to the youngsters.

“Sadly there were signs that one may have perished but the five in the nest were extremely lucky and very narrowly missed the saw.

“If they had raised their heads up or the saw had been placed just one centimetre lower, they would all have been killed.”

The birds will now be hand reared by staff and fed every 15 minutes from 7am till 10pm.

Trevor Weeks MBE, WRAS founder, said: “This is a timely reminder that at this time of year birds are nesting everywhere.

“It really isn’t a good time of year to be cutting down trees or removing bushes although we appreciate that when there is a danger of a tree falling or is diseased then more urgent action is sometimes needed.

“It is essential that trees and bushes are checked thoroughly and not to forget that holes in tree trunks are often used by not just woodpeckers but other smaller birds like blue tits and robins.

“Our staff and volunteers are work really hard at this time of year and we have over 250 casualties in care at the moment.”