A ROYAL Naval helicopter from Culdrose was scrambled to East Cornwall on Tuesday morning to help rescue a man stuck 60ft up a rock face near Gunnislake.

Brixham Coastguard received a 999 call from the man at 7.30am. The man been out for an early morning walk and had wandered off the path and became stuck in undergrowth in the valley, where drops are sheer in some places.

Brixham Coastguard called out the Tamar Coastguard Rescue team, requested a helicopter from ARCC Kinloss, and the launch of the Plymouth RNLI lifeboats. A Royal Navy helicopter was scrambled from RNAS Culdrose.

When search and rescue units arrived on scene, the man was not immediately visible by any of the units.

Brixham Coastguard officers were in communication with the man and by using the technology in their operations room and the mobile phone mast were able to pinpoint his position and direct rescuers to where the man was.

The man, who is 58 and from the local area, was found and winched to the safety of the top of the cliff uninjured by the helicopter.

Les Jenkin from Brixham Coastguard said: 'We would always advise walkers to stay to the cliff paths which have been used by many walkers for centuries.

'Straying off the beaten track could, as in this instance, cause you to get lost and trapped in what may be described as challenging undergrowth.'