TWO helicopters were called to rescue a man who was trapped for four hours between rocks at Ilkley Moor.

The 28-year-old's long ordeal was brought to an end by members of the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association, the ambulance service and a crew from E-Flight RAF Leconfield near Beverley, in East Yorkshire.

After being freed, the man was airlifted by RAF Sea King helicopter to Leeds General Infirmary suffering from chest injuries.

The victim's ordeal began around lunchtime on Saturday when he left a group he had been climbing with in the quarry at the Cow and Calf Rocks.

His companions noticed him missing after about an hour and, following a search, discovered him wedged between the rocks and suffering from neck and back pain..

Members of the group called the emergency services and members of the Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association were alerted.

Controller Tony Dean said: "It appears he slipped down a crevice in between two or three rocks which he does not remember falling into.

"When he came round he had back and neck pains. He did not try to get himself out. It was about one hour before the group missed him and went looking for him.

"We got a call about 1.45pm It was a matter of getting a team together to go and get him out and get him into an ambulance."

Around 22 members of the association turned up to help with a special stretcher used on cases where back injuries were suspected.

Mr Dean said: "It was a matter of treating him as though he had a spinal injury. I presume he stayed there because he thought he had done something nasty so he didn't want to twist his back.

"It is one of the those things, whether he just slipped, but he had no recollection of getting into the hole. If he felt he had done something to his back the best thing was to stay where he was. He did the best thing I think."

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance was scrambled from its base at Leeds Bradford Airport but because of the position of the victim, police had also called in a Search and Rescue team.

Ambulance crews treated the casualty where he was and then helped to get him on to the stretcher.

The stretcher was too big to fit into the fuselage of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance so the casualty was loaded into the Sea King helicopter.

The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Matthew Gower, said: "We were working on the East Coast when we got the call and got over to Ilkley as fast as possible. It was quite a simple job - he was already on a stretcher and we took him to Leeds General Infirmary."

A spokesman for the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service said: "The call came through at 12.45pm and we despatched an ambulance and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

"The man was in a difficult position in the rocks so we waited for an RAF helicopter. He was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary suffering from chest injuries. His injuries were not thought to be life threatening. His position was such that we decided to call in search and rescue."

The Gazette understands that the victim was detained in hospital but not seriously injured.

A spokesman for Leeds General Infirmary refused to make any comment about the case stating that it was not hospital policy to release to the Gazette the condition of any patient whose personal details were not in our possession.