A contractor who slipped 30ft into a septic tank he was cleaning out in the Black Country was stuck for 20 minutes before he could scramble out.

The man had been pumping sewage from the tank near Clancy Way in Halesowen yesterday.

It is believed he slipped through a manhole cover into the cesspit, falling around 30ft.

The alarm was raised by a site manager whose suspicion was aroused when the contractor had not returned.

The tank borders a completed housing development.

Fire crews and paramedics arrived at the scene at 11.10am to find the man had been able to climb a ladder inside the tank to safety.

Walsall-based Tardis Environmental UK confirmed the man works for them but declined to comment further.