Man rescued by helicopter after getting stuck 70ft up cliff
‘One wrong footing and this could have had a very different outcome,’ says coastguard
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Your support makes all the difference.An "extremely lucky" man had to be rescued by helicopter after he got stuck 70ft up a cliff.
The amateur climber decided to try and scramble up the muddy slope while walking with a friend at Stair Hole in Dorset.
They quickly realised that it was too slippery and dangerous to make it to the top and tried to go back down.
However one of them – dressed in a t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms – became trapped "in a seriously perilous position", according to HM Coastguard.
"He was completely stuck, 70ft up on an extremely slippery and muddy slope with no safe way of geting back down or to the top of the cliff."
His friend called 999 at around 2pm on Saturday and specialist rescue teams were sent by Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and HM Coastguard in Lulworth and Kimmeridge.
After examining the man's position on the cliff, the rescuers decided the safest way of getting him off was by air.
The St Athan coastguard helicopter, which had been training in North Devon, was dispatched to the scene.
Video footage from the aircraft shows a paramedic being lowered down to the man on the cliff.
The man was then secured in a harness and lifted up to the top of the cliff.
After a medical check-up, the "cold and visibly shocked" man was allowed to make his own way home.
Matt West, duty controller for HM Coastguard said: 'The man was extremely lucky, one wrong footing and this could have had a very different outcome.
"We are fortunate to have really beautiful coastlines all around the UK but we want people to enjoy them and then make it home safely. Please don’t take unnecessary risks and know your limits while visiting the coast.
"Remember, if you see someone in difficulty along the coast or at sea call 999 and ask for the coastguard to save valuable time."
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