A QUIET cul-de-sac was at the centre of a marathon rescue operation when firefighters were called in to remove a 40-stone man from his home.

Paramedics were unable to get the 52-year-old man out of his home at Tresillian Gardens in West End because of his size so they were forced to call in Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Firefighters arrived at just after 3pm yesterday to help get the man, who was suffering from breathing difficulties, out of the property.

A specially-trained search and rescue team, who normally deal with rescues involving earthquakes and other disasters, were called.

At one point it looked like the man would have to be lifted out of his a bedroom window using a hydraulic crane while he was still in his bed.

Assistant Divisional Officer Peter Crook, who has spearheaded task forces on international relief operations including Turkey and Iran, was also drafted in for his expertise on dealing with problems associated with lifting heavy weights.

In the end it was decided the man, who has not been named, would be removed by building a wooden ramp down the stairs of the semi-detatched property.

A spokesman from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Services said: "We decided to construct a special ramp to effectively slide the man out of out of his bedroom. A special stretcher used in earthquake rescues was used to get the man down the ramp and on to a waiting hospital bed.

"Banisters had to be sawn through to enable the ramp to work.

"It is certainly one of the more unusual incidents we have to deal with but we are a rescue service along with a fire service, which is what we had to deal with here."

Because of his size it was not possible to fit him and the paramedics into an ambulance so a fire support van had to be cleared out and used instead.

The man was eventually brought out at 9.15pm and taken to hospital under police escort. He was believed to be in a stable condition last night.