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Daisy-Mae Jones, 7, fell the equivalent height of a two-storey house and incredibly walked away with just cuts and bruises

A seven-year-old girl miraculously survived falling 25ft into a sinkhole.

Schoolgirl Daisy-Mae Jones, fell the equivalent height of a two-storey house while she was playing in a field near her home.

Her terrified mother Janine struggled to find little Daisy-Mae at first because of the thick grass, and the search party were led by the schoolgirl's cries for help until they found the hole.

A nearby builder helped to rescue her - and incredibly, she walked away with just cuts and bruises.

Describing the horrifying ordeal, mum Janine, 39, of Shuttlewood, Derbys., said: "Her friends came to tell us what had happened but the grass in that field is tall and thick, so it took a while to find her.

"We just had to keep calling her, and listening out. When we found her she was crying and covered head to toe in clay and mud. It was terrible."

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© Ross Parry/SWNSDanger: The mystery hole sprung up in a mining area


Neighbouring builder, Gary Barson, was alerted to the rescue and took his ladders to the hole so Daisy-Mae could climb out.

He said: "She was hysterical. This hole was about 3ft by 4ft and at least 25ft deep. It is amazing she didn't get more seriously hurt."

She was treated by the ambulance service on scene, and fire and police were also in attendance.

A police spokesperson said they have spoken with the landowner, who has agreed to fill in the hole as it is a danger to public safety.

But according to The Coal Authority, the exact cause of the hole is still under investigation.

Janine said: "We were told it looks like a sinkhole. Either way, I just want to thank the Gary and the whole community for coming together. It could have been so much worse. If she was playing on her own, we might never have found her."

John Delaney, corporate manager for The Coal Authority, said fencing has now been erected around the field.

He added: "We don't yet know what it was yet, but we do know it is a hole and it is in a mining area so we have to carry out investigation work."

It's not the first time a mystery sinkhole has opened up the ground, click here for more similar stories.