A Chinese pedestrian obsessed with his phone has learned a painful lesson after using the escalator while looking at his handset.

The 35-year-old man in China stepped onto an escalator going the opposite direction when he was watching a TV show on his phone.

He rolled down the entire stairway from top to bottom after missing a step.

The 35-year-old (circled) in Chongqing, China, rolled down an escalator from top to bottom

He sustained serious bleeding in the head and was taken to hospital by police and paramedics

The incident took place last Thursday in the Shapingba district of Chongqing, a municipality with more than 30 million people in south-western China.

According to police, the man, known by his surname Chen, was trying to take a downward escalator in Chongqing West Railway Station.

Glued to his mobile phone, he stepped onto a flight of upward stairs by mistake.

Footage shows Mr Chen tumbling down the escalator as passers-by looked on.

The man, known as Mr Chen, confessed he had got used to walking while staring at his phone

Police said he fell more than 30 steps and sustained severe bleeding on the head.

Policemen patrolling nearby were alerted by bystanders and rushed to rescue the victim.

One officer, known by his surname Feng, said the agonising man was wailing next to a pool of blood when he arrived at the scene.

Officer Feng called for an ambulance and moved the man to a safe area with the help of the station's security guards and onlookers. The policeman also gave first aid to Mr Chen.

Paramedics arrived about 20 minutes later and took Mr Chen to hospital.

Mr Chen was on his way to meet a friend in Chongqing West Railway Station (pictured) that day

According to Chongqing's Shangyou News, Mr Chen was on his way to meet a friend when the accident occurred.

Mr Chen confessed that he liked watching TV series on his phone and had got used to walking while staring at the screen.

He said he was catching up on one show before the accident and only noticed the escalator through the corner of his eyes.

He said he had not expected the escalator to come upwards and walked onto it without a second thought.

Mr Chen was in stable condition, the report said.