A VISITING bell ringer is recovering at home after a "freak accident" at Worcester Cathedral.

Ian Bowman, aged 51, was 100ft up the historic bell tower when a rope caught around his foot, suddenly hoisting him into the air on Saturday.

The visitor, who was part of a touring group from Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Devon, suffered a nasty cut to his head and may have fractured his back when he fell to the ground.

Firefighters from Malvern used specialist rope rescue skills to carefully lower Mr Bowman from the bell tower, in a dramatic rescue during Saturday's evensong service.

The bell ringer was then rushed to Worcestershire Royal Hospital by paramedics.

Worcester News:

View from the trap door, by paramedic Frank Knight

Speaking from his home in Widecombe, Mr Bowman said: "I am waiting for a call to see if I have fractured my spine or not.

"I might have to go to Torbay Hospital if that is the case and that is quite a drive away but I am not sure yet.

"I want to get my health sorted before I talk about what happened."

Mark Regan, ringing master at Worcester Cathedral, said: "It was a freak accident.

"Ian Bowman, an experienced ringer from Devon, got his foot caught in a rope and he fell and hurt his head.

"He got his foot caught when a rope was moving and he went up in the air a couple of feet and landed awkwardly.

"He is fine, emergency services were brilliant. They had been here to practise, so they knew what to do.

"It was quite dramatic."

Fire crews, including two from Worcester, opened up a trap door in the cathedral and, after around 40-minutes securing the ropes, were able to safely lower Mr Bowman to the floor aided by paramedics Frank Knight and Carl Humpage.

Worcester News:

Mr Regan said it as "very reassuring" to know the emergency services are trained to deal with this kind of emergency situation.

He continued to stress the accident was not caused by any safety issue connected to bell ringing.

"It is not a safety issue, it is clearly a freak accident," he said.

"It has nothing to do with the safety of bell ringing, it was a freak accident."

Group Commander Grant Wills, of Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, tweeted his praise of the rescue crews, calling them "a credit to the community they serve".

Speaking to the Worcester News, he said: "This was a challenging rescue for our crews, but one we regularly practise for, including at the Cathedral itself. 

"Working closely with our colleagues from West Midlands Ambulance Service, we were able to rescue the patient in a way that would not risk making his condition any worse. 

"As with many of our specialist skills, we hope that the community won't need them but when they are required we are ready to respond thanks to our training and pre-planning."

Firefighters were called to the scene shortly before 5pm on Saturday, February 11.

They were at the scene for around an hour-and-a-half.

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said officers did not attend the incident.