Workman, 23, dies after being trapped in collapsed trench

The body of the 23-year-old man was recovered last night at the end of a major day-long effort by emergency services to rescue him following the accident.

The man, who is believed to have been working for a private contractor, had become trapped in the trench at about 11am yesterday while working in the Bingley Road area of Heaton.

Early reports suggested a drain may have collapsed at the construction site, though this had not been confirmed last night.

It is understood family members rushed to the site during the day to witness efforts to save the man, who has not yet been named by police.

A long stretch of Bingley Road was cordoned off for much of the day while emergency services worked for hours to free the man.

Those involved included paramedics from Yorkshire Ambulance Service's Hazardous Area Response Team – who have been specially trained to work in confined spaces – and Bradford Council's Major Incidents Unit, as well as firefighters and police.

A West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said last night: "We can confirm that the body of a 23- year-old local man has been recovered from the trench.

"It is believed the man had been working in the trench at the time of the incident.

Inquiries are currently ongoing to establish how the events came about." The Health and Safety Executive has also been informed of the incident, and has launched its own investigation into what happened.