Pictures: Man rescued from ditch in Shrewsbury
A man who was trying to take a short cut has ended up needing rescuing after falling into a four foot deep trench.
The incident happened on the former Shelton Hospital site that is being developed as housing on Somerby Road in Bicton Heath.
An ambulance, a paramedic area support officer and the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) were sent after a call at 11.50pm on Monday evening.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "The man, who was in his 50s, was at the bottom of the trench which was about shoulder width across with a potential fracture to his ankle and was unable to move.
"The HART team and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service were both called to the scene due to the risk of the trench collapsing.
"The ambulance crew splinted his leg and ankle while the HART paramedics worked with firefighters to prepare to lift the man.
"He was placed onto a specialist stretcher and was then lifted using an aerial ladder platform.
"Once out, his treatment continued on the ambulance before being taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for further assessment.
"Given the nature of the location, a building site, there was a very real risk of the trench collapsing, so safety was the number one priority."
