Man, 79, rescued after getting trapped chest-deep in manhole

The 79-year-old man fell into an exposed manhole in Hereford Road in Shrewsbury, on Monday morning and had been there for some 40 minutes before he attracted the attention of a passer-by.

Marc Millward, a duty group manager at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The gentleman managed to summon the attention of a passer-by but they were unable to pull him out so they called the fire service.

"We went out to assist and we managed to support him in getting out and getting attention."

Mr Millward said the fire service had called for an ambulance to assist but they were "advised that there was a wait".

"We were able to get information out of the male and and contact his wife," he added.

Mr Millward said the fire service was able to make sure the man was "pointed in the right direction" of getting to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for a check-up after receiving some first aid from crews.

He confirmed that the manhole had been cordoned off, the lid replaced and the exact location of the incident was reported to Shropshire Council.

Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service scrambled two appliances, including the rescue tender, from Shrewsbury and Wellington to Hereford Road, in Shrewsbury at 10.07am on Monday.

A fire service spokesperson said: "This incident involved a member of the public that had become trapped chest deep in a manhole."