Man seriously hurt in quarry fall

A 38-year-old man is in hospital with serious injuries after he fell into a disused quarry near Torquay seafront in Devon on Saturday night.

The alarm was raised by a member of the public who said he heard the man calling for help at Peaked Tor Cove.

He was rescued by the inshore lifeboat in "atrocious" weather conditions and airlifted to hospital in Plymouth.

Coastguards said the man appeared to have fallen off the cliff path after drinking heavily.

Andy Huber from Brixham Coastguard said: "The first informant told the coastguard that he had heard the casualty fall and shout for help.

"He said he was in severe pain after hitting solid rock after falling from the path."

The witness had been out night fishing at the time.

A coastguard statement said the weather conditions during the rescue were "atrocious ... with heavy wind-driven rain rebounding off the cliff".

Coastguards and paramedics were assisted in the operation by a rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall.