A WOMAN is recovering at home after falling through an asbestos stable roof on to a concrete floor.

Elaine Foster, aged 52, had used ladders to climb on to the roof of the stable at Shoreside Farm in Stoneclough to try and find the cause of a leak which had been letting in the heavy rain.

But a beam collapsed and she fell head-first onto the concrete floor below.

People using other stables at the farm, which is off Prestolee Road, rushed to Ms Foster's aid following the incident at noon on Saturday along with her partner Dave Bent.

Firefighters were asked to attend in the first instance to check the asbestos risk but they established the roof was made of the less dangerous white asbestos.

Ms Foster was then put on a spine board and taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital by paramedics wearing masks as a precaution against possible asbestos contamination..

At hospital she was then rinsed down in isolation and given x-rays by staff wearing masks and gowns in scenes she described as being "like something from a sci-fi film".

But the tests found she had not broken any bones and she was released from hospital at 6pm.

She suffered a cut to the head about two or three inches long and bruises and swelling to her collar bone, shoulder and hand.

Ms Foster, who runs a livery and horse feed business at the stables with Mr Bent, said: "I'm still in a lot of pain but I'm doing alright.

"I had walked along the beam to see what was wrong with the roof but being stupid I had not thought it would be weak because there was so much water coming in.

"It just gave way and I felt pain straight away and thought I might have broken something but I managed to sit up breathing after a moment or too.

"I'm quite lucky really - I must still bounce. I'm sure after a few days I'll be fine but you don't really get the chance to put your feet up around here, there's so much to do."