A FIRST-time paraglider suffered serious injuries after he crashed into a cliff, sparking a full-scale rescue operation.

The man in his 40s, was stuck halfway down the cliff face at Barton-on-Sea yesterday evening while coastguard and ambulance teams attempted to reach him.

Paramedics from the Hazardous Area Response Team were lowered 15 metres to treat him before an air ambulance took him to Southampton General Hospital. Photographer Matt Hardy, 24, who lives metres away from where the air ambulance landed said: “I came home and it was all happening then. There were people everywhere.

“He took off and did a loop round and when he came into land, somehow rolled down the cliff.

“He stopped about three quarters of the way down.

“They took about an hour to an hour and a half to bring him up, probably because of his broken leg.

“He seemed to be in a very difficult position for them to get to.”

The man, from London, suffered serious injuries including broken legs in the incident which happened on the cliffs on Pebble Beach, near Fisherman’s Walk in Barton-on-Sea.

Coastguard and Maritime Agency crews from both Lymington and Southbourne as well as a number of crews from South Central Ambulance service including rapid response teams, two ambulances, the Hazardous Area Response Team and an ambulance officer were all dispatched.

A member of the Lymington coastguard crew was nearby at the time and was able to reach the scene quickly.

The man was brought to the bottom of the cliff at 7.20pm and was conscious throughout.