Woman hurt in 20ft plunge from Blackpool flats

Police cordoned off the scene outside a block of flats on Squires Gate Lane on Monday morning – but quickly ruled no crime had been committed.

The woman, whose age was not released, was rushed to Royal Preston Hospital following the incident. The extent of her injuries are not clear.

Neighbours and passersby were left shocked by
the incident as police and paramedics rushed to the scene shortly before 8am.

It is understood the woman lived on the top floor of the three-storey building.

The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) confirmed it had attended the incident, where a woman ‘fell from a balcony’.

But police were unable to provide any more details, saying only that it was ‘not a crime’.

One neighbour told The Gazette: “It was a girl who lives on the top floor but the police wouldn’t tell us anything.

“They took her to hospital. It’s a real shock, I tell you.”

A spokesman for NWAS said: “We were called to an address in Squires Gate Lane opposite Lee Raj at 7.49am.

“A woman had fallen from a balcony. She was taken to Royal Preston Hospital by ambulance.”

The exact circumstances surrounding the fall remain unclear but detectives are satisfied there was no foul play. A police source said: “It was not a crime.”

Emergency services had left the scene by 10am.

Commuters who witnessed the immediate aftermath of the incident reported seeing three police cars and an ambulance at the scene as they passed during the morning rush hour.

Police tape cordoned off the area while officers investigated.

Estate agent Brad Burrows wrote on Twitter that ‘something serious’ was ‘going down’ outside the flats.