Firefighters rescue man from trench

Firefighters rescued a man after he became trapped in a trench.

The man was doing building work when he fell into 8ft deep footings.

Crews from Rayleigh Weir, Rochford, Brentwood and our Urban Search and Rescue team attended.

They used air bags to stabilise the ground around him, dug a "relief trench" to distribute the weight and were eventually able to dig him out.

Despite being cold and uncomfortable, he was conscious and breathing. 

Station Manager Rick Williams said: "Due to the risk of movement from the ground, crews used hand tools to get to the casualty, this was all carried out in close consultation with the Ambulance and the Air Ambulance crew. 

"After six long hours, I want to say thank you to all of the emergency services teams, the firefighters and the Urban Search and Rescue team for their hard work in making sure the rescue came to a safe conclusion. Luckily the man did not sustain any injuries."