EMERGENCY crews rushed through a village near Malvern after reports that an aircraft had crashed – however, it proved to be a false alarm.

A total of five fire engines and two off-road fire vehicles, as well as police cars and ambulances thundered into Colwall this afternoon (November 24), but it turned out the aircraft had landed safely.

One villager told the Worcester News: "Never have I heard so many sirens in our little village, non stop for at least half an hour."

She said she heard "a light aircraft crashed between Ledbury and Malvern".

A spokeswoman for Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said an initial emergency call was received by the police, before fire crews were alerted at 4.43pm.

She said it had been believed that the aircraft had crashed off the road near Colwall but that it was a “false alarm” and it had “landed safely”.

Geoff Lewis, who lives in the village, said he saw numerous emergency vehicles with sirens sounding drive past his flat off Walwyn Road at around 5pm.

“They’re heading towards the traffic lights at the railway bridge. About half a dozen vehicles. In the lower part of the village.”

Rowan McCann said: "I was just walking on the hills and have been seeing numerous sets of blue lights heading towards Colwall and a helicopter."

Another eye witness said there was an ambulance at the top of Wyche Cutting and that there was also an air ambulance flying overhead in the area.