A WOMAN in her early 20s fell and was injured at Wintour's Leap, near Tidenham, on Sunday morning.

The climber fell around 50 feet (15m) just before 10.40am, prompting a major incident alert for the local rescue services.

Twelve Fire and Rescue officers were sent to the scene, alongside the specialist cliff rescue team from Lydney who also attended the incident. The rescue itself is said to have taken over two and a half hours to complete.

The woman, who suffered injuries to her face and head, was taken to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol by air ambulance. Her condition at the time of going to press was not known.

This is the fourth serious fall by a climber in the Wye Valley this year, following on from similar incidents which have taken place at Symonds Yat.

Advice to climbers on the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) website states: 'The Wye gorge is particularly noted for impressive cliff climbing. Symonds Yat and Wintour's Leap are particularly popular – but some of the climbs can be challenging, difficult and sometimes dangerous.

'Climbers should always seek expert advice from local climbers or experienced individuals as not all areas are suited to climbing, and some are sensitive environmental areas.'

•The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley enjoyed not just the warmest and sunniest days of the year last weekend – but also the busiest. The River Wye was the course for a major canoe race, involving hundreds of craft on the water, while the roads were busy with an organised cycle road race, and the vintage vehicles attending the Monmouth May Fair, added to a bumber number of visitors and holidaymakers driving into and around the area. No major traffic problems were reported, but some of the more popular car parks became very busy indeed.