THE fire brigade had to come to the rescue of the Camborne Christmas lights committee after one of their members was left stranded 30 feet up in the air.

Camborne, Redruth and District Lions Club are represented on the Camborne Christmas lights committee and every year assist in taking down the displays.

However, on Sunday things did not go according to plan. The hydraulic pump drive belt on the "cherry picker" broke leaving Fred Carpenter suspended high over the town clock roundabout.

The lights committee held an emergency meeting and decided that it would not be neighbourly to leave Fred there but they did not have a ladder high enough to reach him. They decided to call in Camborne Fire Brigade's Black Watch, led by sub officer Adrian Stone.

They soon put things right by fitting a new drive belt to the "cherry picker" allowing a cold, windswept but grateful Fred to be lowered to safety.