A man left hanging upside down from his boot at the top of a 290ft industrial chimney was finally brought down yesterday after a 14-hour rescue operation ended in tragedy.
The man, aged in his 50s, was found to have died during the day as emergency services raced to find a way to safely reach him.
Superintendent Matt Kennerley of Cumbria Police said: “Paramedics confirmed the man, in his 50s and from Carlisle, as deceased at the scene at 16:46. The man was reported to be trapped at about 2:20am today, and a rescue operation was launched while a multi-agency group was later convened.”
A helicopter, a drone and a cherry picker were all deployed to recover the man, who is yet to be named by police.
Fire chiefs at Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service were forced to make a public appeal for an aerial work platform capable of reaching the man. One was later brought to the scene from Glasgow.
Supt Kennerley added: “All agencies worked as quickly as possible to try to rescue the man.”
Welfare officers from Cumbria Police are understood to be with the man’s family.
Police confirmed an investigation will now begin into how and why the man ended up atop the structure.
