Stage hand sues over Royal Opera House fall

A Royal Opera House stage technician who has been unable to work since falling through a gap in a set is suing for damages of up to £250,000.

Lee Drysdale, 51, suffered a cut to his head, bruising to his body and injuries to his shoulder and knee in the accident during a scene change for Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos three years ago. He also suffered depression as a result of the injuries.

He said: "I went to pick up some cord which had fallen to one side of a ledge and just fell into a deep hole. It was quite a way."

Mr Drysdale, from Soho, said he needed a partial knee replacement which the NHS is reluctant to perform. He wants the insurers to pay for the operation and his losses.

A Covent Garden spokeswoman said the matter was with their insurers and they were unable to comment.