Teenager clinging to cliff put on hold

A teenage climber left clinging for his life to the side of a cliff dialled 999 — and was put on hold.

Terry Price, 16, was stuck more than an hour after seeing his friend Roy Williams, 18, plunge 40ft to the ground.

Roy fell after rock he was holding crumbled and Terry was left too petrified to climb down the sheer cliff wall to his friend. He called 999 from the cliff in Uphill, Somerset — but was connected to police in South Wales and Nottinghamshire before being put through to local police.



Emergency crews raced to the scene but paramedics were prevented from taking Roy straight to hospital due to eight fire engines blocking the entrance. Terry, of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, said: “I was hanging on for my life and they put me on hold when I rang 999.

“It was half an hour before I was put through to the right person and another hour until they arrived. I couldn’t believe it. It felt like I was clinging on for ages — it was my worst nightmare.”

BT spokesman Jason Mann said: “We are very sorry that this happened.”