EMERGENCY services descended on a housing development in Ripon - but there was no need to panic.

The North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service were invited to perform a mock crane rescue at McCarthy and Stone's new retirement development, Dawson Grange, which is currently under construction.

The exercise provided firefighters with a realistic training scenario relating to the on-site tower crane.

The crane is there to enable construction of the development, and provided the firefighters with a perfect platform to hone their skills.

David Gledson, based at Ripon Fire Station, said: “In the event that a rescue situation arises it is incredibly important that we can act quickly to secure the safety of workers on site.

“Mock rescue activities such as this are incredibly valuable, providing our crews with an opportunity to practice in a real life setting, yet with the support of being in a safe and controlled environment.

"We would like to thank McCarthy and Stone for facilitating the session, which proved a real success.”

Mick Piling, senior site manager, added: “McCarthy and Stone is dedicated to prioritising health and safety on site as part of our ongoing commitment to delivering five star service and quality across every area of the business. Supporting the training of local emergency service teams is of upmost importance when it comes to creating a safe environment for our site workers, and we were pleased to assist with the mock rescue.”