SHOCKED Michael Clements was saved by his waistline after paving slabs in the town centre gave way right underneath him.

Michael, 54, has been left thanking his lucky stars for being a "big bloke" after he found himself jammed in the hole created -- protecting him from a much longer fall into a disused cellar.

Today, textile engineer Mr Clements was backed by a local councillor in his call for local authority inspectors to check pavements around Blackburn town centre to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again.

The accident comes at a time when local authorities are trying to tackle the claims culture fed by falls and stumbles.

Last year, compensation claims for trips and slips cost Lancashire County Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council a total of £7.4million.

Mr Clements, of Preston New Road, Blackburn, spent several hours in hospital on Monday after a routine visit to the opticians with his 16-year-old daughter Rachel.

As he was walking across the square in Museum Street, close to Richmond Terrace, several paving slabs gave way, sending him plummeting down.

He said: "It was only because I'm quite a big bloke that I got stuck on the way down, otherwise the fall would have been a lot deeper and it could have been a lot worse.

"As it is, I got a bad bump to the head as I hit a tree, and scratches and bruises all over. I managed to claw myself out but, to be honest, I was dazed for so long it took me a while to work out what had happened."

Council officers at Blackburn with Darwen Council, which created the square following the demolition of a building, today blamed the situation on recent heavy rainfall moving the earth underneath the slabs, which had previously filled the former cellar.

Adam Scott, director of regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "The site has been securely fenced off and a repair is in hand."

The location forms part of the council-promoted culture trail because of the piece of public art on the square.

Councillor Paul McGurty said: "The council need to make sure that they check all pavements which are maintained in a similar way."

Mr Clements added he wanted to thank the council attendant who came from the Town Hall to help him.