Thinking of the Cornish coast is imagining sharp cliffs descending abruptly to the sea. Now picture yourself on top of one on them on the verge of falling into the void.

A 56-year-old woman went through that nightmare for many hours after her car rolled several times down a cliff at St Agnes Head, north-west Cornwall, before coming to rest on a ledge just a few metres away from a large drop of 300ft (91m).

Lyn Venton is believed to have had the accident on Monday the 26th of July due to misty weather conditions, resulting in her car rolling towards the cliffs and ending up with a crushed roof.

Injured and aware of her dramatic position, she could only wait for help, which only came until she was spotted the next morning by a passerby jogger 17 hours later.

Ben Stafford, from Truro, said he had been out with his wife and friends at about 9am when they saw the car.

"She said she missed the road and started to tumble down the cliff and got thrown on to the passenger seat while it was tumbling down,” he told the BBC. "By the grace of God she stopped just by the cliff edge."

Stafford said he had stayed with the woman until rescue teams arrived and kept her calm by talking about "mundane things."

Falmouth Coastguard were then alerted to the incident and a large rescue operation was launched immediately by coastguards crews from St Agnes and Newquay.

A rescue helicopter from RAF Chivenor came to the assistance along with police and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.

The car was anchored down before the woman was finally winched up the cliff to safety after an slow and delicate procedure.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said: "The car was secured in place by the coastguards and fire and rescue officers and the woman was then extracted from the vehicle."

"The coastguard rescue team winched the casualty up the cliff and she was transferred to Treliske Hospital, Truro, by RAF helicopter."