A MEMBER of staff from McDonald's in High Wycombe was taken to hospital after falling through a skylight.

Firefighters called to the scene believed he had been inspecting the restaurant's leaky roof.

The man was stretchered out of the premises in the High Street, through the rear fire exit on Saturday afternoon by paramedics and firefighters.

The restaurant roof had been leaking for a few days and, as a result, staff had cordoned off the restaurant's front entrance and part of the seating area.

A fire officer said that the man had gone to see where the leak was coming from and slipped and fell through the skylight on to the restaurant's first floor.

He was put into a neck brace and carried out on a spinal board. A fire crew from High Wycombe was called to the scene to help carry him out.

Gordon Richardson, crew manager, said: "He was up there because of the heavy rain, they were having some problems and he slipped and came through the skylight.

"For a precaution he was put on a spinal board, he'd fallen heavily.

"By all accounts he'd just put his weight on it and fallen through on to the floor below."

No one else was injured during the incident and McDonald's stressed they did have policies in place to ensure the safety of their staff Bieneosa Ebite, McDonald's spokesman, said: "We are happy to report that the member of staff was not actually seriously injured, they're well on their way to recovery. It was an accident that took place, it wasn't involving any customers."

The incident was reported to Wycombe District Council's environmental department on Wednesday which has now launched an investigation.