A WOMAN was airlifted to hospital after she fell 50ft while out walking and was left badly injured on the edge of a hill.

The woman, in her 60s, was in a precarious position on the side of Loudoun Hill in Ayrshire when paramedics and rescuers reached her. They took her to a flatter area at the base of the hill, where a helicopter landed and took her to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock. She was last night being treated for spinal and chest injuries.

Station Commander Steven Logan, of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, said: "She had suffered a nasty fall. However, the combined efforts of fire crews and our partners in the ambulance service, the police and Royal Navy search and rescue meant she could be quickly and safely stabilised and transported to hospital."