Rescuers have told how they raced to help an unconscious woman who was in a 'precarious' position on the edge of Castle Mall's car park roof.

The woman's plight sparked a big emergency response and a tricky rescue operation that involved a fire ladder next to a busy road at rush hour.

People watched the drama unfold as they sat in cars and buses that were queued along Cattle Market Street and Rose Lane near to the car park entrance.

Police, fire and ambulance crews were called at just after 7am today (August 28).

Firefighters from Carrow, Earlham and Sprowston and the aerial ladder platform were at the heart of the rescue bid and the woman was taken by stretcher to an ambulance shortly before 8am.

Eastern Daily Press: Emergency services respond to an incident near Castle Mall PHOTO: Peter WalshEmergency services respond to an incident near Castle Mall PHOTO: Peter Walsh (Image: Archant)

Peter Rowe, station manager at Sprowston Fire Station, who attended the incident, said: 'I think the first call was from the police who discovered a lady in her 20s unconscious and unresponsive on the roof of the Castle Mall.

'She was in a precarious position so the fire service responded with two appliances, one from Carrow, one from Sprowston and the aerial ladder platform from Earlham. We had to bring her down to a position of safety and then hand her back to the ambulance service.'

Mr Rowe said she was unconscious and unresponsive when they got to her but appeared to be in 'good health' by the time they got her down and to the ambulance service.

He said: 'There was never an intention, I don't think, for her to jump.'

Eastern Daily Press: Traffic at a standstill as emergency services respond to an incident near Castle Mall PHOTO: Peter WalshTraffic at a standstill as emergency services respond to an incident near Castle Mall PHOTO: Peter Walsh (Image: Archant)

A spokesman for Norfolk Police said: 'We were called around 6.50am for the concerns of safety of a woman on the wall in the Castle Mall gardens - ambulance and fire also called and attended.

'The road was closed whilst the woman was brought down from the wall and she was taken to Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.'

Traffic had been stopped travelling up or down Cattle Market Street during the rescue which resulted in a queue of buses and cars during the incident.

The road was however reopened just before 7.50am.

Eastern Daily Press: Traffic at a standstill as emergency services respond to an incident near Castle Mall PHOTO: Peter WalshTraffic at a standstill as emergency services respond to an incident near Castle Mall PHOTO: Peter Walsh (Image: Archant)

The ambulance left the scene just before 8am.