A CYCLIST had to be rescued by firefighters after he fell while carrying his mountain bike over a stile.

Neil Baxendale, 35, from Clitheroe, was riding near the banks of the River Ribble at West Bradford Bridge, Pimlico Road, and slipped when lifting the bike.

A walker telephoned for the ambulance but when they arrived they saw the ground was rough and they contacted the fire service for assistance.

A spokesman for Clitheroe ambulance service said: "He had fallen on rough terrain and he had a nasty fracture of the ankle. He landed badly and we had to decide whether we should call out the fire brigade or air lift him out.

"We called out Clitheroe fire crews and the emergency crew from Accrington and we couldn't have managed without them."

Mr Baxendale was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary and later released.

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