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Mr Merry is lowered from the bell tower

A bellringer who was injured when his leg became caught in a rope has told of the moment he was hoisted off the ground.

Academic Dr Tony Merry was taking part in the bell ringing practice at St Mary's Church in Church Street, Charlbury, when the accident happened at about 8.45pm on Wednesday.

Dr Merry, of Little Lees, Charlbury, suffered a broken collar bone after being pulled up off the belfry floor by the rope, and firefighters and paramedics were called to the scene.

Fire crews from Charlbury, and a rescue team from Kidlington, then placed Dr Merry on a stretcher and lowered him through a trap door to the church floor about 15ft below. He was then taken to the Horton Hospital in Banbury for treatment.

Recovering at his home yesterday, Dr Merry, a chemistry Research Fellow at Manchester University, said: "I have been bell ringing for over three years and nothing like this has ever happened before - it gave me a real shock.

"I think a bunch of keys got caught in the rope and I was pulled about three feet off the floor - it was a freak occurrence.

"The shock made me black out and I lost consciousness and fell to the ground and bashed my shoulder.

"The belfry where we practice is up a very narrow wooden spiral staircase and there was no way they could lower me down that, so they had to use the trap-door in the floor.

Firefighters bring the injured bellringer to the ground

"We all know about the trap-door because some of our ringers are quite elderly and it has been pointed out as a possible escape route if someone has a heart attack, but I never imagined I would be coming through it myself.

"The paramedics gave me morphine to help with the pain and then I was conscious throughout the rescue. I could see that the rescue services acted with great professionalism."

Incident commander Bob Swanton said: "I have been a firefighter for 25 years and it was one of the best jobs I have been to in terms of the rescue going to plan."

He added that crews used specialist equipment to lower Dr Merry through the trap door and added: "This type of rescue is rare and requires a very different approach with the casualty being secured in a special stretcher which is first lowered vertically and then horizontally using a pulley system to ensure the casualty does not remain suspended upright for too long."

Mr Swanton said crews working in cramped conditions made access to the trap door difficult but finally they were able to lower Dr Merry to the church floor.

The line rescue teams from Kidlington practice regularly to ensure they are able to carry out rescues from tower cranes and other high buildings.

12:21pm Thursday 15th May 2008

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