A MOUNTAIN biker needed help after he fell 8ft into a canal basin.

Volunteers from Bolton Mountain Rescue Team went to the 43-year-old man’s aid, after he fell into a drained part of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal, in Little Lever.

The cyclist had been riding on the canal towpath with friends near to the Meccano Bridge in Boscow Road, Little Lever when he fell, at around 5pm on Monday.

The rescue team was contacted by the North West Ambulance Service who needed assistance to free the man. It is understood that the man sustained a broken wrist; but due to the height of the vertical drop additional precautions were taken in case of possible spinal injuries.