Phone mast fell on man in Wandsworth street
Phone mast fell on man in Wandsworth street

A man is in a critical condition in a south London hospital after a telegraph pole fell on his head in high winds.

The victim, who has not been named but is said to be 25 years old, was in Wandsworth when the mast toppled on to him.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said that two crews and a response vehicle attended the scene. Ambulance crews rushed the victim to St Geroge's Hospital, Tooting, where his condition was described as critical.

Paramedics resuscitated the victim on the pavement before ferrying him to hospital.

Communications giant BT, which expressed regret at the incident, announced an investigation along with the Metropolitan Police.

Duty of care

The local authority, Wandsworth council, insisted that the duty of care for phone masts lay with BT alone.

Early indications suggested that high winds toppling the pole. London has been lashed by powerful winds for two days as a bitterly cold front moves in from the east.

Temperatures dropped below zero and Monday was the coldest 11 March for 27 years.

The southeast, particularly Kent and Sussex, have been hard hit. In Sussex alone, police reported 300 accidents on the roads in 24 hours.

READ:
Freezing Britain: Flights Cancelled and Roads Gridlocked in Siberian Weather [VIDEO]

Freezing Britain:15,000 Accidents, Traffic Chaos, Eurostar Cancelled [VIDEO]

London