Bellringer rescued from 80ft Worcester Cathedral bell tower

A man had to be lowered down from an 80ft bell tower after he got trapped in ropes and thrown into the air.

Ian Bowman, 51, was in the bell tower at Worcester Cathedral when his foot got caught in one of the moving ropes.

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In what has been described as a "freak accident", the experienced bellringer was hoisted a couple of feet into the air before landing awkwardly on the ground, cutting his head and possibly fracturing a bone in his back. Luckily, he is still able to walk.

Fire crews were called to the 13th century cathedral and a specialist rope rescue team lowered him 80ft to the ground so he could get to hospital.

The Hereford and Worcester Fire Rescue Service shared pictures of the scene on Twitter.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Bowman, from Devon, who had been performing as a visiting bellringer, said: "The rope pulled me up in the air and I came crashing down on the floor with a big bang."

Mr Bowman added that he was waiting for results on a possible fracture on his spine, and said: "I want to get my health sorted before I talk about what happened."

According to the Worcester News, 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."

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