Two cliff falls, one broken nose, a cross-country run, a break-in, an air ambulance scrambled, a police inquiry and a fire brigade callout...

GEORGE and Mary Stastny are unlikely to have a more incident- packed weekend stroll than the one they had on Sunday.

Mr Stastny managed to fall down the same riverside cliff twice within the space of two minutes, pass out twice, get a broken nose and re-set it himself.

And his wife did not fare much better. She had to run across the countryside for almost an hour, before she was forced to break into a friend’s house – for which she was later questioned by police.

The couple, from Whorlton, near Barnard Castle, were walking along the River Tees at Brignall when Mr Stastny, an architect who is also chairman of Whorlton Parish Council, fell down the steep bank, breaking his nose and smashing his face.

Mrs Stastny went to help her husband, who managed to climb up to the path and lie down before he passed out.

Without a mobile phone, Mrs Stastny decided to run to a friend’s house – almost an hour away – to call for help.

She had just set off when Mr Stastny came round, stood up and called her name, before he lost consciousness again, tumbling back down the same sheer bank – his fall this time being broken by trees.

Unable to move her unconscious husband, Mrs Stastny left him halfway down the bank while she ran to her friend’s house.

The house was empty when she arrived, so she broke a window with a broom to get into the utility room.

Once in, she phoned the police, fire service, ambulance and air ambulance.

Meanwhile, Mr Stastny had come round, managing to climb up the bank and walk 45 minutes to their car. From there, he drove to his motherin- law’s house in nearby Greta Bridge.

At the house, he got in touch with his wife – and even managed to re-set his crooked nose. He was taken to hospital for checks and released.

Mrs Stastny, who was due to fly to Madeira with her husband on Monday, said: “The good thing is that he is very much alive and well.

“He was in a shocking condition after falling the second time, making the most awful moans and groans. We can see the funny side of it now, but it was not nice at the time.”

The ordeal carried on into Monday when police questioned Mrs Stastny about the “break-in” and asked the home owners whether they wanted to press charges.

But Mrs Stastny said her friends immediately forgave her.

She said: “They understood completely and said they would do exactly the same to our house if they were in my position.”

The couple were forced to cancel their holiday.