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RESCUE BID: The incident at Riverside Avenue

A MAN was left fighting for his life after plunging 20ft down a well at a Bournemouth sewerage works on Wednesday afternoon.

Emergency services were scrambled to the Wessex Water purification plant at Riverside Avenue, Holdenhurst, at 1.35pm following reports that a workman had fallen into a dry well.

It is believed that the man, who was rushed to Poole Hospital under police escort, had been missing for almost an hour before the alarm was raised.

Five fire crews were sent to the scene, including a special rescue appliance from Poole and aerial ladder platform from Westbourne.

A Dorset Fire and Rescue Service spokesman confirmed that the casualty, believed to be a contractor working at the site, had been found unconscious at the bottom of the well.

Crews wearing breathing gear used a nine-metre aerial ladder to reach him and a basket stretcher to lift him out of the well. He was taken to hospital suffering from head, back and leg injuries.

A Dorset Police spokesman said the force had been alerted by Dorset Ambulance Service following reports that a man had fallen six metres down a well.

"It is believed he was working alone at the time and was found almost an hour after he went missing. A traffic unit was put on stand-by to provide a fast escort to hospital.

"Our officers were tasked to ensure that the scene of the accident was preserved until Health and Safety inspectors arrived to carry out their investigations.

"The man's next of kin were also informed.

"There were no suspicious circumstances."

A Health and Safety Executive spokeswoman confirmed that an investigation had been launched into the incident.

7:10am Thursday 22nd May 2008

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