A PENSIONER had to be rescued by firefighters after falling into a hole in his garden.

The 77-year-old man had gone into his house to consult some plans when water workers arrived to check the drainage.

While he was in the house, rummaging among his papers, the workers removed the cover from a manhole in the garden of his home, in Guisborough Road, Nunthorpe.

The man, who has not been named, re-emerged from his home his head buried in his plans and fell down the open manhole.

"Luckily, he was conscious when we got there,'' said sub officer Malcolm Knox of Cleveland Fire Brigade.

"He had fallen 12 feet. We put a line around him and lifted him up. He was conscious and could help us. He had severe bruising to his arms and legs.''

The injured man was taken to the casualty department of Middlesbrough General Hospital