A TEENAGER was hauled to safety by an RAF Search and Rescue winchman after he broke his arm in a fall near a viaduct.

Emergency services called in a team from RAF Boulmer, Northumberland , on Saturday when the youth became trapped on the outskirts of Bishop Auckland .

The drama started at 5.40pm when Bishop Auckland Police and North Ambulance Service crews were called to the Newton Cap Bank viaduct.

The un-named teenager had fallen from a tree while playing in a wooded area below the viaduct.

The steepness of the slope made access to the youth difficult and the RAF team was dispatched.

Law student Andrew Horner, 20, of High Bondgate, Bishop Auckland, on holiday from the University of East Anglia, saw the rescue.

He said: “I was going outside my house to read a magazine and I saw someone stood staring towards the viaduct.

“I turned to look and the helicopter was really low and it looked massive. I saw the winchman go down with the stretcher.

“The whole thing was over quite quickly and the helicopter then flew around for about ten minutes and then it headed off.

“There was lot of people stood watching but I don’t think anyone really knew what was happening. It was certainly unusual.”

A paramedic car and an ambulance team were sent to the viaduct on the B6284 to deal with a report of one injured youth without life threatening injuries.

A police spokesman said: “The ambulance service asked for assistance from RAF Boulmer to rescue a teenager with a broken arm.

“The youth was taken by the RAF team to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, for treatment.”

* Do you know who the injured teenager is? Contact The Northern Echo on 01388-602232.