An elderly man is lucky to be alive after falling 15ft into the mud of the Truro River on a mobility scooter.

A large scale rescue effort was launched following the man taking a tumble from Garras Wharf this morning.

The 93-year-old suffered cuts to his face and was treated by paramedics.

The rescue saw firefighters and Coastguard rescue teams, alongside police, called to the scene 10.50am, close to the harbourmaster's offices. The rescue took an hour, with the man's mobility scooter also due to be recovered.


 

A fire and rescue service spokesman said:"Two appliances along with the aerial platform ladder Truro and the water rescue vehicles from Falmouth and St Austell plus two flexi duty officers were mobilised to reports of a gentleman in a motorised scooter who had fallen into from height into mud at Garras Wharf.

"On arrival crews discovered the casualty still within his motorised scooter in the mud and water. Extraction was carried out using the aerial platform ladder due to the difficult access and the gentleman was then left in the care of the ambulance service and transported to hospital by land ambulance."