GLOWING tributes were paid to quick-thinking leisure centre staff last night after they came to the aid of a man who fell from a second-floor balcony.

The 32-year-old man was seriously ill in Darlington Memorial Hospital last night, following the incident at the town's Dolphin Centre on Sunday night.

The man, from Spennymoor, who has not been named, was among 1,000 spectators watching a major Thai boxing contest between England and Thailand.

He is thought to have slipped from a bannister at the end of the evening, after watching several bouts at what was one of the biggest sporting contests of its kind in Europe.

The man, who suffered serious head injuries, is understood to have been sat at a VIP table with supporters of Kurt Forrest, one of Britain's leading competitors.

The event was organised by Darlington Boxing and Martial Arts Academy and attracted a sell-out crowd.

Organiser Paul Hamilton said: "Most people had left the building by that point, but the Dolphin Centre staff were quickly there and did a hell of a job.

"Obviously, it concerns me because he was at my show and you never want accidents happening anywhere.

"As far as I know, they were just messing about at the top of the stairs and he went to slide down the bannister and just toppled over. The evening had just finished and they were one of the last tables to leave."

Durham Police have said there were no suspicious circumstances and that it was thought to be an accident.

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council, which runs the centre, said: "Our staff were there straight away and administered first aid until the ambulance arrived. They helped the paramedics carry out their duties until they took him to hospital. They are all trained in first aid and did a fine job."

The event was one of the biggest in the region's sporting calendar and was filmed by Sky Sports.