FORTY firefighters have taken part in a major training exercise on a building site in York.

Crews from York, Acomb, Huntington, Tadcaster, Ripon and Malton were involved last night in the mock rescue of a 'casualty' who had 'collapsed' in a cab at the top of a crane in Walmgate.

David Dryburgh, North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service's group manager for York and Selby, said the casualty, played by a dummy, was winched down to the ground using specialist ropes and pulleys.

He said the exercise tested firefighters' readiness to deal with a situation where a casualty was too high for the service's aerial ladder platform to reach and where the platform was unable to gain access.

The firefighters also rescued two casualties 'trapped' under rubble on the ground, caused by the crane dropping its load when the driver collapsed.

He said a vigilant member of the public rang police during the exercise to report they had seen someone climbing the crane, and was reassured it was a fire training exercise.

He added that the service needed to be prepared for further development in York in coming years, some of which would involve cranes with cabs at a high level and sites which were inaccessible to the aerial ladder platform.

The exercise took place on a site close to The Press where a new hotel is being built with the cooperation of the builders.