Woman in 20ft Shrewsbury restaurant roof fall

A police investigation was under way today after a woman fell 20ft from the roof of a Shropshire restaurant.

The woman, who has not been named, suffered ankle injuries after the accident at Rococo in Butcher Row, Shrewsbury, last night. Firefighters had to cut through a fence to reach the injured woman at about 9pm.

Police today said they were investigating how the woman came to be on the roof of the building - a brasserie and wine bar.

Inspector Paul Crompton, from West Mercia Police, today said officers were alerted to the accident by ambulance crews.

"The woman is currently in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital," he said.

"It looks like she has fallen from the roof.

"She fell into a restricted area within Rococo's and remains in hospital today with non-life threatening injuries."

He added: "We are investigating a theft in relation to the incident."

Fire and ambulance crews were called to Butcher Row after the alarm was raised.

A spokesman for Shropshire Fire and Rescue said firefighters from Shrewsbury had to cut through a small fence to get to the victim.

One appliance was sent to the scene and crews used small gear to reach her.

A fire service spokesman said: "The woman was stuck behind some railings and we had to cut them to help the ambulance crew get to her."

He said they left the scene at about 9.45pm.

Nobody from Rococo was today available for comment.

Butcher Row contains various pubs, shops, bars and a hotel but traders today said they were unaware of last night's incident. Anyone with information is urged to call West Mercia Police on 0300 333 3000.

By Emma Kasprzak