FIREFIGHTERS may be used to jokes about saving cats stuck in trees, but did you ever hear the one about the maintenance men stuck in a cherry picker?Three Ipswich crews had an unusual call-out in Ipswich town centre yesterday afternoon when two workers unexpectedly became a lunchtime spectacle.

FIREFIGHTERS may be used to jokes about saving cats stuck in trees, but did you ever hear the one about the maintenance men stuck in a cherry picker?

Three Ipswich crews had an unusual call-out in Ipswich town centre yesterday afternoon when two workers unexpectedly became a lunchtime spectacle.

The two men were working high up in a cherry-picker carrying out maintenance work on CCTV cameras when a mechanical failure left them high and dry.

The workers, from London-based contractors Chroma Vision, had been in a lofty position over lunchtime shoppers in Princes Street and the Buttermarket, but their view changed when they discovered they couldn't get down.

The mechanical arm holding them aloft became stuck and at 2.10pm the pair had to call Ipswich's fire service for help.

With a large crowd of amused shoppers watching, three Ipswich-based crews were called to the scene and had to use a turntable ladder to help rescue the men.

First to be rescued was 50-year-old Austin Young, who admitted he wasn't enjoying the attention the situation had created but managed to see the funny side.

“It's very embarrassing, this has never happened before,” he said.

“It's caused quite a stir hasn't it? And at least we've given everyone in the café's something to look at!”

Mr Young, from London, said he and his co-worker Ray Marshalleck had managed to call for help when they realised they were stuck.

“We'd been up there half an hour when we tried to get back down and realised it was stuck. I'm not scared of heights but it's scary when you think you might be stuck up there for a while!”

Mr Marshalleck, 36, said he didn't enjoy being the centre of attention either.

“I'm so embarrassed, I won't be coming back to Ipswich in a hurry. We'll have to call the AA to get a jump start now.”

One crew from the Princes Street station went to the scene along with two from the Colchester Road headquarters.

Sub-officer David Edwards from the Princes Street station said: “It's quite unusual for us to be called out to something like this. It was a straightforward job and the guys went to work and got it sorted quickly.”

Have you ever had to call for help in an embarrassing situation? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk