Southampton docks was at the centre of a dramatic rescue today when a man got stuck in his crane, 147ft up in the air.

Firefighters joined forces with paramedics at Western Docks to bring the crane operator down safely, after he had become trapped in the cab of his high dockside crane after suffering a suspected back injury.

Crews from Redbridge and St Mary's fire stations were called by South Central Ambulance Service just after 9am. They were later joined by a technical rope rescue team to help with the rescue.

Watch manager Simon Packer from Redbridge fire station said: “Firefighters together with our technical rope rescue team members constructed a lowering mechanism on a platform at the top of the crane whilst colleagues from the South Central Ambulance Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) completed a medical assessment and treatment in the cab.”

After two-and-a-half hours working inside the cab, the patient was lowered to the ground and was taken to Southampton General Hospital.