A SPECIALISED team pulled off a difficult rescue yesterday when a 24-year-old man plunged 50ft into a ravine at an East Durham beauty spot.

Paramedics and the fire brigade were called to Blackhall Dene by a man who had been out walking with the accident victim.

The brigade summoned its expert Line Rescue Team, from Peterlee, who erected a special "A" frame across the gorge to enable officers to lower themselves down the ravine and then haul up the injured man.

Wet, soft conditions made the rescue attempt difficult and extra ropes had to be lashed to nearby trees to secure the lifting frame.

A spokesman at the Fire Brigade headquarters in Durham said: "Conditions were difficult and it took over an hour and a half to lift the man to the surface."

Once out of the ravine, the man, who was said to have remained in good spirits, was placed on a stretcher by paramedics and then carried across three fields to a waiting ambulance.

The unnamed man was then taken to Hartlepool General Hospital suffering from a broken ankle.

"He was very lucky not to have sustained much worse injuries," said the spokesman who praised all those who had taken part in the difficult rescue.

It is understood that after walking through the dene the two men, described as "outdoor types", had decided to do some climbing, leading to the dramatic accident.