Ron Easton, 102, was discovered on the flat roof of his home in Bigbury-on-Sea in Devon on Wednesday. He is believed to have been attempting to fix his TV aerial when he fell on the roof and became trapped there for three days.

A neighbour who phoned the emergency services had noted there were three bottles of milk and three newspapers at Easton’s door, leading him to believe the centenarian had been up there for three days.

Former racing driver stuck on his roof

Easton is a former racing driver, who went by the nickname “Ton-Up Ron.” After he had been trapped on his own roof for three days, emergency services had to airlift him to the Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, where he is believed to be in a stable condition.

As reported by the Telegraph, it was Trish Bagley who initially raised the alarm. She delivers milk and newspaper to Easton each day and when she found two unopened bottles, she became concerned.

Bagley said she had no idea he was up on the roof, but she knew something had gone wrong. She said he always takes his milk in, so when Monday and Tuesday’s bottles were still there, it meant he had probably been up on the roof since Sunday. Bagley said the ladder was positioned on the back of the house, so no-one spotted it.

As reported by ITV News, a neighbour then made the call to report the situation after he saw Easton was lying face down on the roof.

He said he could hear him breathing, but he wouldn’t respond when spoken to but he didn't like to touch him right now. He told the operator that Easton had a saw and rake with him and that he didn’t know what he had been doing, but that he had gone up an eight or nine-foot ladder.

When the operator asked if he could talk to Easton, he said no, he didn't respond.

He added that Easton was lying flat on his face.

Centenarian needed to be airlifted

After Easton was discovered to be stuck on his roof, firefighters arrived at the scene at 8:30 on Wednesday. A spokesperson for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue said it appeared Easton had climbed onto his roof using a ladder. The department sent three appliances along with an aerial ladder platform.

However, the space they had to work in was too narrow, so firefighters needed to use a stretcher from the ambulance to climb up and rescue him.

Meanwhile, Bagley is optimistic about Easton’s recovery, saying at 102 years of age, he is a strong man who is always working in his garden. She said he will hopefully make a full recovery.