A MAN has been taken to hospital after being found lying in water beneath a bridge in the Woodhill area of Bury.

The man, believed to be in his 40s, sustained serious injuries, damaging his spine.

There was a major emergency response to the incident last night, with ambulances, police, fire crews, rescue boats and a technical response unit attending.

The man was found in a brook, under a bridge, on the Kirklees Trail, known locally as the lines.

A spokeswoman for the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said: "We were called to Darlington Close at 7.45pm to reports that someone had fallen.

"We took a patient to Salford Royal Hospital. The man had sustained serious injuries."

NWAS had an ambulance, two rapid response vehicles and a Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) at the scene.

Fire crews from Bury and Whitefield were called to Brandlesholme Road near the junction with Brandlesholme Close at about 7.50pm.

Steve Wilcock, Bury fire station watch manager, said: "Two firefighters found a man submerged in a brook beneath a bridge.

"Ambulance crews were concerned about the man's injuries.

"There is a huge risk with incidents like this which involve people in the water.

"Our crews were deployed into the water and assisted the paramedics with removing the man. We used specialist equipment to get the man out of the water and up an embankment to safety. People from the various agencies worked together as a team.

"There was a huge emergency response because of the difficult access and the nature of the incident."

A technical response unit from Ashton and in-shore rescue boats from Heywood and Eccles were also deployed.

Crews remained at the scene for about 90 minutes.