A BT engineer is recovering in hospital after falling 25ft down a shaft on the Ridgeway.

The man, from Faringdon, was working in the Fox Hill area of Wanborough, when he plunged into a disused underground reservoir on Tuesday afternoon.

The 36-year-old, who has not been named, used his mobile phone to raise the alarm, despite suffering leg and shoulder injuries. A total of 20 firefighters, right, were called to winch him out. The Wiltshire Air Ambulance was also dispatched to the scene.

The engineer had been working on a mast near the Ridgeway when he fell down the hole, which was covered in undergrowth.

Following his rescue, he was taken to the Great Western Hospital in Swindon.

BT spokesman Chris Orum said: "It's quite a nasty fall. He was walking along and the ground gave way beneath him."