Great escape for one man and his dog

The 53-year-old man was walking along the cliff at Cloughton Wyke, near the seaside town, with his wife and their three dogs when golden labrador, Oscar, tumbled over the edge.

As he attempted to rescue his stricken pet, he too fell off the cliff.

It sparked a dramatic rescue operation with a helicopter scrambled from RAF Leconfield, which winched the pair to safety while hovering just feet away from the sea cliffs in perilously high winds.

Last night, as the man remained in Scarborough Hospital in a serious but stable condition and Oscar, who suffered a broken leg, black eye and broken tooth, recovered at a nearby veterinary surgeon, rescuers released the pictures from the terrifying operation on Monday afternoon, saying it is a “miracle” that they both survived.

A rescuer from RAF Leconfield said: “After a 200ft fall we feared the worst, but we could see signs of life as we approached.

“His wife was at the top of the cliff above the position where he went over the cliff.

“We winched the casualty in our stretcher with a winchman. It was fairly tricky. The helicopter’s rotor blades were fairly close to the cliff, about 10 feet away.

“We winched the casualty up and dropped him off at hospital and then we winched the dog up to the top of the cliff to a waiting vet who had been called by the coastguard.

“It was a minor miracle neither the man nor his dog died after that fall.”

Veterinary surgeon Heather Westron who treated Oscar, said: “Considering how far he fell it’s amazing he has survived. I’ve never known a dog to survive a fall like this.

“Oscar is such a jolly dog and is making friends already. He just seems happy to be around people again and is extremely friendly.”