A reveller was left dangling from a barbed wire fence for more than an hour after he tried to sneak into his house following a night out.

Firefighters came to the rescue of a man in Windsor Avenue, Clacton, at around 3.21am.

Crews from Clacton and Weeley were called to investigate after a neighbour heard screaming and raised the alarm.

The concerned neighbour discovered the man hanging upside down by his ankles.

He had become stuck after climbing over his fence in an attempt to avoid waking up the rest of his household.

Kieran Warner, watch manager at Clacton Fire Station, said: "When we arrived we were faced with an extremely distressed young man - he couldn't feel his feet and he was in a lot of pain - we estimate he had been hanging upside down for at least an hour.

"Although our main priority was to cut through the wire to release him, it was also just as important to calm him down and reassure him about the situation and his recovery.

"Once we had cut the man's ankles free we worked with the Ambulance Service to safely bring him down to ground level, keep him warm and get him into the ambulance.

"This was a very different kind of incident for us, and to see the fantastic job our crews did at reassuring and rescuing the casualty, as well as the way emergency services worked together to keep him calm and safe, was extremely rewarding."

Firefighters cut the man free by 4.06am and left him in the care of the ambulance service.