WHEN ambulance boss Richard Claridge fell down a manhole in his garden he did the obvious thing he called his colleagues for help on his mobile phone.

But he was given an extra surprise when the ambulance turned up to take him to hospital and it was being driven by his paramedic wife Mary.

Mary, who is based at Marlborough Ambulance Station, and colleague Tim Painter had the job of lifting Richard out of the manhole and carrying him to the ambulance in a stretcher chair.

Mary, 39, who with Richard has a son Daniel, 10, said: My first thoughts were that something must have happened to Daniel.

Then they said that Richard had fallen and broken his ankle which was better because I realised it was not life-threatening.

Richard, 43, was completing his chores at home in Priorsfield, Marlborough, while his wife was at work.

After rinsing out an aquarium over a sewer manhole in his garden, he decided to use the rest of the tank water to water some hanging baskets - then stepped back and fell into the 2ft 6ins deep manhole.

Richard said: I felt my ankle stinging and I thought I would have to bandage it and that it would hurt the next morning.

I sat with my foot in the hole and water all around me and when I pulled myself up to take a look I could see the bottom of my foot looking at me.

He thought he had broken his ankle and called to Daniel to bring a mobile telephone.

The ambulance arrived in four minutes and took Richard to the Princess Margaret Hospital, Swindon, where X-rays showed he had dislocated his ankle joint.

He underwent a two-and-a-quarter hour operation the same night and was kept in hospital for five days after the accident.