A man who fell off a cliff notorious for suicide attempts ended up phoning for help after he landed on a ledge.

He plunged more than 200 feet down Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the early hours of Sunday.

It is not clear if he jumped or fell while walking along the clifftop.

A very lucky man, I should say

Dover Coastguard

He used his mobile phone to summon Dover Coastguard and The Times newspaper reports that he told an emergency service operator: "Since I haven't succeeded I could probably use a bit of help."

An initial attempt to rescue him by police helicopter failed and coastguard teams launched a lifeboat from Eastbourne to help in the mission.

It is believed that the man, who is in his fifties, was taken to Eastbourne District General Hospital for treatment.

A spokesman for the coastguard services said: "It seems he was walking wounded and only suffering from cuts and bruises.

"A very lucky man, I should say".