A PENSIONER told today how he spent almost 24 hours trapped in a hole he made in his floorboards during a DIY session.

Peter Simmonds, 71, was left helpless after he finished the plumbing job and was unable to haul himself out of his tight spot.

He was wedged head and shoulders above the floor shouting and banging to try to get help from neighbours.

Mr Simmonds, of Eastern Road, Gillingham, said: “It was too narrow for me to get out. I injured my knee by banging into rubble down there so I couldn’t even use my legs to lever my way out.’’

Mr Simmonds had gone down the hole on Tuesday morning and finished the work in less than an hour.

The hole is 1ft by 1 1/2ft but the gap Mr Simmonds was trapped in was made smaller by a gas pipe.

Mr Simmonds began shouting for help but his next-door neighbours, Philip and Joyce Roberts, were out for the day. Even when they returned that evening their TV drowned out his noise.

Mr Roberts, 73, said: “It was only at 8am yesterday that we heard him banging, but we always hear sounds like that because he is a DIY enthusiast. Then we heard him calling out and we realised he might be hurt.’’

Mr Roberts called to Mr Simmonds through the letterbox and broke in through the back door to get to him. Mr Roberts couldn’t pull him out so his wife Joyce, 71, called the fire brigade to free him.

Mrs Roberts said: “He had had nothing to drink so we gave him two glasses of water and then a cup of tea, by which time the firemen arrived.

“He was okay when they got him out, but he was annoyed that he had got stuck there.’’

Leading firefighter Harvey Dorling said: “Mr first thought was how did he get there? It was such a small gap and the gas pipe made it even more difficult for us to reach him.’’

Mr Simmonds said: “During the time I waited I would just sit down on a bucket in the hole. I had had nothing to eat but strangely enough I didn’t feel hungry. I slept simply by taking catnaps.

“I didn’t feel frightened or wonder if I would ever get out, I just concentrated on making noise to attract attention and get help.’’