Painter rescued after getting stuck halfway up outside of lighthouse

Ambulance and fire services joined forces to help rescue a man left dangling 50ft off the ground and from a lighthouse after his scaffolding gave way while he was painting the outside of the building.



The incident happened at around 10am on Friday at the St John's Point lighthouse near Killough, Co Down, Northern Ireland. It is thought the platform the man was working off fell away due to high winds. The painter was left suspended from a height of about 50ft with only his safety ropes preventing him from falling.



Fire and ambulance personnel both deployed specialist rescue teams to reach the man. The ambulance service's Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) worked alongside specially trained firefighters to bring the man down. The entire operation lasted just over two hours and the 50-year-old was not injured, but left badly shaken by the ordeal.



Ambulance service spokesman John McPoland said the man suffered no serious injuries. He added: "This was a very scary and very nervy ordeal for the man. This was something completely out of the ordinary, but we are fully trained and ready for just such a situation. And I must say it was good teamwork to help rescue the man by both the fire and ambulance service working together."