FIRE crews winched a man 20 feet from a roof window to avoid making his back injury worse.

The 30 year-old was put on a long-board by ambulance crews but could not take him down the spiral staircase at Little Barton Farm cottages, Canterbury, early on Saturday.

After breaking off part of the window firefighters winched him to the floor and he was taken to hospital at about 2.30am.

Watch manager Mark Jones said: “The man had a back injury and had to be kept on the board so the spiral staircase was no use.

”We had to use the crane to get him out and lower him down.”

A neighbour said: “It sounded like they were moving furniture around.”