A MAN had to be rescued by ambulance crews after suffering a suspected stroke while out walking in woods at Kinver.

The 63-year-old man collapsed while walking with a friend at Bunkers Hill Wood off Whittington Hall Lane at around 2.25pm today (Monday).

An ambulance was initially sent out after a 999 call, but medics had to walk almost half a mile through the trees to reach the patient so back up from the Hazardous Area Response Team was requested and a Polaris 6x6 vehicle was sent to the scene.

Stourbridge News: Pic courtesy of WMASPic courtesy of WMAS

West Midlands Ambulance Service tweeted this picture from the scene earlier and a spokesman said: “The track was not suitable for an ambulance to get down so the crew asked HART to attend.

"They used their 6x6 Polaris vehicle to get to the patient and bring him out to the ambulance."

The man was then taken to the stroke unit at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley.