The wife of a man who fractured his skull falling from a ladder has thanked the neighbours who came to his aid.

Kenneth Field was cleaning the roof of his caravan outside his home in The Glen, Minster, when the accident happened at about 1pm on Friday.

Paramedics and the air ambulance, which landed in the nearby country park, were called to the scene and the 69-year-old was airlifted to King’s College Hospital, where he remains.

The Glen park was closed off while the helicopter was there. It left at about 2.10pm.

Mr Field’s wife Gladys was on her way home from work at Minster Primary School when she saw ambulances outside her home and said at first she thought something had happened at another house, until she saw her husband being treated.

The 64-year-old said Mr Field has suffered a fractured skull and that he’s had bleeding to the front of his brain in what she said was a freak accident.

“He’s in a bad way at the moment,” she said.

“They think he will probably make a full recovery but it will take a long time.

“I phoned the hospital on Monday morning and they said he was talking – he’s got a lot more tests yet.”

Grandmother-of-two Mrs Field said they are not really sure what happened, whether he lost his footing or the ladder suddenly moved.

She was taken up to the hospital by her daughter Claire on the day and her son Kevin over the weekend.

Neighbour Tasha Whiston, 29, had heard retired Mr Field fall and rushed to help with her partner Terry Hanson, who is first aid-trained.

Mrs Field said: “I would like to thank my neighbours who called the ambulance and all the paramedics and emergency services.”