ATHERTON trekker Ray Brooker was winched to safety by a rescue helicopter when he got stuck on a south coast cliff.

Ray, 56, of Greenfield Road was left trapped hundreds of feet above the sea when he took a coastal path diversion.

Experienced hiker Ray (pictured) was walking at Chapman's Pool, near St Alban's Head in Dorset, when the incident happened, nearing the end of a 200 mile trek from Plymouth.

Now safely back home he explained::"There'd been a rock fall and I followed the sheep!

"I kept climbing but, stupidly, instead of turning back I kept climbing up the cliff until I got within about 100 feet of the top. Then I got stuck, I simply couldn't go up or down.

"Fortunately after an hour I was able to alert somebody who called in the Portland rescue helicopter.

"They winched me to safety, and pointed me in the right direction."

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