Brave Phil Harrison broke his back rescuing his pal's bird of prey.

He plunged 30 feet inside a disused mill chimney while reaching the hawk which had escaped from an aviary.

And he owes his life to his landing being cushioned - by a deep covering of bird droppings.

Alan Webster's Harris' hawk - called Nala - had escaped from his Cleckheaton home three days earlier.

He and Mr Harrison, 52, tracked the hungry bird to the disused mill chimney which they scaled by ladder to try to reach it. As they reached through a gap into the chimney where the bird was, a metal pole collapsed, causing Mr Harrison to fall. But after landing, and despite his injuries, he managed to get hold of the hawk which was nearby.

"I feel horrendous about what has happened to him," said married father-of-six Mr Webster, 41, of Snelsins Lane.

"It was a freak accident but I'll have that burden to bear for the rest of my life.

"The first week or so afterward was terrible because we weren't sure whether he would walk again, but doctors now think he'll recover. He's broken a vertebra and will have to wear a corset for six months.

"It's his determination that's got him through this. He's even been up and about on crutches and is back at home now."

And Mr Webster revealed that his pal's first thought was for the bird of prey despite being badly injured. "He just leaned over and grabbed the bird's leg, holding on to it. He wouldn't even let the fire brigade rescue him until he was sure the hawk was safe first," he said.

Mr Webster said the male hawk escaped while he was fixing a new roof on to his garden aviary. He managed to track it across Cleckheaton and back and called the RSPCA and the fire service for help.

When the pair, who have been friends for 20 years, spotted the exhausted bird roosting on the chimney they knew it was their best chance to recapture him.

Mr Harrison, of Birkenshaw, was treated at Dewsbury District Hospital for his injuries.

Mr Webster said they attempted the rescue themselves as a "last resort" because no one else would help.

"I had a bird that was flying about starving and they wouldn't do anything about it," he said. "Now my friend has ended up in hospital with a broken back.

"I went through the proper channels. I called the RSPCA three times and I asked them to authorise the firefighters to help. They just weren't interested."

The RSPCA responded by saying the call was passed on to an animal collection officer who called Mr Webster to check the bird's exact location and left a message.

"Had Mr Webster returned the call, the animal collection officer would have been on the scene in just under an hour - and would have contacted the fire brigade herself in order that the bird could have been rescued safely and efficiently," a spokesman said.

Mr Webster, who has owned the bird for three years and is well known for flying them, thanked everyone involved in the rescue, especially the Cleckheaton firefighters and staff at the hospital.