Photos show firefighters scaling Norwich Cathedral in drill

Seven fire crews, an aerial ladder platform, a water carrier and a senior officer all descended on the landmark for a mock exercise where a blaze had erupted in a room beneath the organ.

The drill on Thursday culminated with the ladder extending its way into the sky and crews using main jets on the cathedral roof at the base of the spire.

Crews up the aerial ladder platform (Image: Bill Smith/Norwich Cathedral) Seven crews were at the exercise (Image: Bill Smith/Norwich Cathedral) The training aimed to coordinate both the fire services and the cathedral's response to a blaze to save both the building and the artefacts within it.

The Revd Canon Aidan Platten, Norwich Cathedral’s canon precentor, said: "We hope we will never need such a plan but it is vital that we test our procedures as thoroughly as we can.

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“We regularly review our procedures for keeping people who come to the cathedral as safe as possible and this training exercise was an opportunity to ensure that we are also doing our best to protect and preserve the historic building too.

“We are incredibly grateful to Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service for all they do to help keep Norwich Cathedral and the whole county of Norfolk safe.”

The drill was both inside and outside the cathedral (Image: Bill Smith/Norwich Cathedral) The service warned the public before the exercise at 6.30pm on social media to avoid panic in the local community. 

Stefan Rider, area manager at Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, added: “It’s really important that we have plans for protecting Norfolk's heritage and that venues such as Norwich Cathedral have their own plans for emergency situations.

"But only by testing them together can we be confident that they will work when we really need them to.”