Paraglider rescued after crashing into Cornwall cliff face

Rescuers forced to make precarious climb down the cliff face to reach the trapped man

Video grab shows a paraglider rescued by the coastguard in Cornwall (PA)

A paraglider was plucked to safety in a dramatic rescue after he was blown off course crashing into a cliff face.

Coastguards were called to the stricken man on Saturday as he was paragliding off the Cornish coast at Chapel Porth.

The man was hanging precariously from a steep cliff on a popular stretch of the North Cornwall coastline.

Coastguards, lifeguards and the helicopter were called to the scene just after 3pm and found the man trapped about eight metres down from the cliff top with his parachute caught at the top of the cliff edge.

Rescue team leader Station Officer Ivor Thomson told The Cornishman: "His paraglider was right across the cliff.

"If we had brought the helicopter in the wind could have filled it and lifted it - and the casualty - off the cliff or even into the helicopter.

"It was too dangerous.

“He was on a ledge so wasn't in immediate danger but he was on a piece of cliff that is very dangerous so we had to do some quick-thinking."

A rescuer climbed down to the man, secured him in a harness then removed the parachute before the helicopter team moved in to winch the paraglider to safety.

Julian Williams, helicopter winchman, added: "This was a great bit of teamwork.

"Because of the cliff and the precarious nature of the loose rocks, the Coastguard rescue team couldn't bring the paraglider up easily.

"We were eventually able to winch him off the cliff safely."

The paraglider was uninjured in the incident which rescuers believe was a freak accident caused by a sudden wind change.

Mr Thomson told The Cornishman: “No-one was at fault here.

“There was a sudden wind change and he was caught by it. These things happen, and that is what we are here for.

"This was a very technical rescue – probably the most technical we have had for a while – but everyone on the scene pulled together and it was a really good rescue.”