WHEN a man was left dangling in mid-air after slipping off a 120ft crane in Bury town centre, emergency services dashed to the rescue.

But this was no ordinary drama – because it had all been carefully pre-planned!

The simulated training exercise was carried out on Sunday morning at the new development currently being built on The Rock.

The ‘incident’ involved firefighters from Bury, Ramsbottom and Whitefield, and members of the mountain rescue teams at Bolton and Oldham.

The mock incident involved a dummy falling off the side of the crane and being left hanging in mid-air, held only by his safety equipment.

A driver in the cab also needed to be rescued because he was suffering from shock.

Alan Topping, watch commander at Bury Fire Station, said: “Incidents of this nature are extremely rare, but dealing with the most extreme case prepares you for most eventualities.

“Firefighters have to be aware of all potential hazards in their area and Bury town centre is undergoing massive development.

“We have to be prepared to deal with any incidents that could happen as a result.”

Gary Rhodes, from Bolton Mountain Rescue, said: “This exercise is about multi-agency work and practising structure rescue techniques.

“The firefighters assess the situation and call us in.

“Our role is to bring the man who is hanging down safely, which is done by lowering him to the ground.”

John Hughes from the Urban Search and Rescue Team said: “This exercise is vital given how much development is taking place across Greater Manchester. It was a very innovative exercise.”