A 30-year-old man has been airlifted to hospital after apparently jumping from a block of flats close to Sutton town centre.

At 10.15am an air ambulance crew landed in Manor Park following reports of a body falling from the eight-storey Thackeray Manor block of flats in Manor Park Road.

Neighbours reported seeing him jump from an eight-storey stairwell window, before plummeting to the ground.

It is believed his fall was broken by the entrance porch roof, causing him to fall to the side and into a plant bed.

At the scene the broken remains of the flat's name sign marked the impact.

A window was also missing from the eighth floor stairwell.

A spokesman for Sutton police said officers were alerted after being flagged down by a member of the public and found the man conscious, breathing and able to talk.

A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said the noise was awful.

"I just heard this almighty crash." He added: "It sounded like a gas cylinder exploding, and that's when I started to hear a commotion.

"I didn't see him fall, I believe two elderly women who were walking by witnessed it.

"Apparently they saw him jump from the eighth floor, it's a horrible thing to see."

The man was taken to the Royal London Hospital where his condition is described as serious.

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