A PENSIONER worried about a chestnut tree being damaged while a dilapidated path is resurfaced to improve access to Malvern Link Station has been reassured.

The pathway used by elderly people to access the station's western platform from Somers Road will be resurfaced and have street lighting installed this autumn.

But Frederick Road resident Mrs Frances Pritchard has expressed concern about an old chestnut tree in the lane.

She said: "I hope it's not lopped or cut down, nor its roots damaged when the work takes place. It's been there as long as I can remember. It was already fully grown when I moved here 30 years ago."

Mike Davis, manager of the Malvern Hills and Worcestershire County Council Highways Partnership, said that they would do everything they could to protect the tree.

"The last thing we want to do is to cause a tree to be damaged or felled," he said.

Work on the path is due to begin in October.