EMERGENCY crews rescued a young man who tumbled down the cliff-face near East Cliff zigzag path in Bournemouth on Saturday morning.

The man, in his 20s, fell from the top of the steep 40 foot cliffs and became stuck in a gully about a third of the way from the bottom at around 8.15am.

Three Dorset fire engines and an aerial platform attended the scene for the rescue, alongside ambulances and a specialist rescue team from the South Central Ambulance Service, local police and coastguards.

Fire fighters and paramedics first climbed the cliffs to stabilise the man, after which they used the aerial platform to attach him to a stretcher and transfer him to an ambulance bound for Poole Hospital.

The extent of his injuries are currently unknown.

A short stretch of Undercliff Drive was closed off while the hour-and-a-half-long rescue took place, however the promenade was left open.

Dorset Fire station manager Neil Rickett said: “He was lucky to get caught in that gully as it is a long way to fall from the top of these cliffs to the ground.

“This isn’t the first case like this that we have had to deal with and we are practised at these sort of situations, but it is not that common.

“This was a great example of the four emergency services all working together to carry out an effective and successful rescue.”