A CONSTRUCTION worker has been rushed to hospital after sustaining back injuries when a piece of scaffolding fell on him.

The man, said to be in his 40s, was working on the Centenary Quay site when the scaffolding pole struck him.

He was on the sixth floor of a new apartment block when the pole rolled through a hole on the upper floor and hit him on the back where he was working below.

Emergency services rushed to the scene near Oswald Road with firefighters from St Mary's and Redbridge as well as an ambulance and hazardous area team.

The man has now been taken to Southampton General Hospital to be treated for a lower back injury but it is not thought to be serious.

A spokesman for Crest Nicholson said: "There is a one in a million chance of something like this happening.

"He was up after the accident and chatting with people, he is a really lovely man and it doesn't appear to be a serious incident which is very lucky.

"We will now be conducting an internal investigation into the incident this morning to see how the scaffolding managed to roll through the hole in the upper floor, but we believe it to be a freak accident and we work hard to make sure it is a safe working environment for all our staff."

A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue added: "We were called as he was so high up on the construction site and there was a possibility we may need to lift him down instead of him being taken down the lift.

"We were not needed to get him down but we did help to keep the scene safe and assisted ambulance service.

"He has now been taken to hospital with a lower back injury but it is not serious, it was a very lucky escape and the company is now investigating the incident."

Initial reports suggested the man had fallen from the scaffolding.