Cherry Picker Rescue For Window Cleaner

A window cleaner from firm Reflekt Cleaning Ltd had been cleaning windows of a top floor flat in a block on the street when his cherry picker cradle became wedged against the building.

Window cleaner rescued after getting stuck on top of cherry picker: Man was working on the windows of a top-floor flat on Ducie Street in Manchester city centre when his cherry picker cradle became wedged against the building.

A city centre street has had to be closed after a window cleaner's crane became jammed against a building, causing it to lift off two wheels. The drama started on Ducie Street, next to Piccadilly Station in Manchester around 11.45am this morning. A window cleaner from firm Reflekt Cleaning Ltd had been cleaning windows of a top floor flat in a block on the street when his cherry picker cradle became wedged against the building.

The window cleaner was then stranded around 25ft in the air when the machine's hydraulics cut out.

As the machine tried to pull back the force caused two wheels to lift around eight inches off the ground, leaving it balancing on two wheels in the middle of the street between the flats and an office block. The window cleaner was then stranded around 25ft in the air when the machine's hydraulics cut out. A fire crew were called with their own specialist crane and cherry-picker, which was raised to allow the window cleaner to jump across from his own machine. A specialist engineering and haulage company were also brought in, with chocks wedged underneath the crain's wheels to stabilise it. Police also closed off most of Ducie Street and said the road would remain closed for most of the afternoon.

Simon Carter, 45, who lives in Ancoats, was walking back from Piccadilly Station when he saw the drama unfold. He said: "I saw the fire crews put their cherry picker up and then the window cleaner jumped across. "I think he had been trying to bring the crane down from the top floor when it got stuck - it looks like it's jammed in the metal part at the top one of the windows. "He didn't look injured at all but he must be pretty embarrassed.

"John Bowler, a foreman from specialist haulage company TW Bowler who were brought in to remove the crane, said: "The machine is stuck against the building, and that's made the hydraulics cut out. "We've got chocks under the wheels and we're just waiting for the engineers from the company who made the cherry picker to arrive. "Then hopefully we can get the hydraulics back on and get it moved."