Santa Stuart’s saved by mountain rescue

Stuart Appleby — back at the safe end of the ladder

Window cleaner Stuart Appleby’s plans to give his customers a touch of the Christmas spirit have crash landed.

Because the cheery 49-year-old, wearing a Santa Claus hat with flashing lights, tumbled off his cleaning ladder — and ended up in hospital.

Stuart was cleaning the first-floor windows on a house in Lee Street, Uppermill, when he came a cropper.

His 12ft ladder slipped on treacherous ice and he landed in the front garden. And the ambulance service, flooded with emergency calls because of the snow, alerted Oldham mountain rescue to his dilemma.

The team turned out for the luckless Santa and took him to Tameside Hospital for a medical once-over.

Luckily, Stuart, who has been a window cleaner for two years, only bruised his leg and was allowed home.

And today, with business partner Steve Ashley (51), he was back on his window cleaning round — complete with his Santa hat.

Stuart, from Greenfield, said: “I was about 10ft off the ground when the ladder slipped and I tumbled straight down into the garden.

“The lady of the house came out and saw me lying on the ground. She called the emergency services.

“I was surprised when the mountain rescue team showed up, but they did a marvellous job. They checked me over and, as a precaution, took me to hospital.

“I was glad to get back to work. I’m still wearing my Christmas hat — it makes my customers smile.

“But, unlike Santa, I’ll stay well away from chimneys this year,” he quipped.

Business partner Steve, also from Greenfield, said: “I was working at the back of the house and Stuart called on my mobile to say there had been an accident.

“Thank goodness he’s okay. It was comical really — he went off to hospital still wearing his Santa hat.”

Oldham Mountain Rescue dealt with six emergencies during one day the snow fell.

Simon Britain (44), who headed the team called out to Stuart, said: “It certainly was a different kind of emergency for us.

“We were acting as back-up for the ambulance service who had been inundated with calls. We are glad Stuart’s fully recovered.”