TRAFFIC in Worcester city centre was brought to a standstill as emergency services worked to rescue an injured workman.

The man, in his 30s, was working on the city’s new library and history centre in the Butts when he hurt his back.

Because the injury happened on the top floor of the building, which is under construction, the road had to be closed while all three emergency services tried to rescue him.

West Mercia Police cordoned off the road while Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service got him down and West Midlands Ambulance Service provided pain relief.

Closing the Butts meant traffic on both sides of the river became backed up as cars were redirected around the one-way system.

It is believed the worker had fallen backwards and landed awkwardly on his back – causing him a great deal of pain.

A spokesman for Galliford Try, the main contractor for the £60 million project, said: “We can confirm that an employee working for Northfield Construction, one of our sub-contractors, injured his back at our Worcester Library site today. The Butts was closed for 30 minutes while the fire service lifted him off level two of the new building, where he had been working. The road was the closest point of access. The injury is not thought to be serious."

The ambulance service was called at 12.20pm. A crew went to the top of the building to give the man pain relief and put him on a spinal board so he could be bought down to another crew on the ground.

But it took a fire engine with an aerial ladder platform to get the man back down to the road, with the rope rescue team from Malvern on standby.

Station manager Phil Russell said: “Rescues of this type can be complex with a building under partial construction and the injured man on the second floor. The aerial ladder platform was the quickest and safest option to bring the man to ground level.”

The man was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital and police reopened the road just before 2pm.