Dramatic air rescue of climber after 30ft plunge

A climber was left dangling on a rope after plunging 30ft from a rock face in Shropshire.

Adrian Lowe tumbled backwards and bounced off the side of Earls Hill in Pontesbury after his equipment 'popped out' of a rock, causing him to fall.

An injured Mr Lowe, 51, from Pontesbury, had to be lowered down by his wife Catherine, who raised the alarm.

He had to be winched to safety by an RAF helicopter during a two-hour rescue operation on Sunday afternoon.

Mr Lowe and his wife have today thanked the 'brilliant' emergency services and RAF team who came to the rescue.

Mrs Lowe said: "He was leading the climb and was about 50ft up putting some gear into the rock when it popped out.

"It was just one of those freak things, he was leaning on it and fell backwards when it came out. He fell about 30ft and was bouncing off the rock face as he went down.

"He was left hanging by the rope."

Mrs Lowe, a pharmacist, was able to lower her husband to the ground to find out whether he had suffered serious leg injuries.

Paramedics and a doctor from the Midlands Air Ambulance treated Mr Lowe but due to the dense undergrowth where he lay, a decision was made to call a rescue helicopter from RAF Valley in Anglesey.

Mrs Lowe said: "They were brilliant, we are deeply grateful to them. They came so quickly and were calm and supportive in a difficult situation."

Mr Lowe, a structural engineer, is still waiting to find out the extent of his injuries, but doctors have confirmed he has not broken his leg.

"He is feeling okay. It is just one of those things, it could have been a lot worse," added Mrs Lowe.