A woman has survived after plunging over the side of a balcony in a John Lewis store and landing on a display bed.

The fall is not being treated as an accident or a crime, the Guardian understands.

The woman suffered hip and spine injuries in the fall at the Cheadle Royal branch in Greater Manchester on Monday, which saw her plummet about 60ft (18 metres). She was taken to hospital following the incident, which is reported to have happened by the glass balconies of the store’s escalators.

She fell onto an area usually used for seasonal displays, which change regularly.

Greater Manchester police said they responded after receiving reports at 4pm on Monday that a 60-year-old woman had fallen from the upper floor of the shop.

A John Lewis spokesman confirmed that there had been a serious incident at its Cheadle branch. He said: “Our customers’ safety is of the utmost importance to us and all of our shops conform to the highest safety standards. We are helping the police with their investigations, and continue to offer support to our partners [staff] who witnessed the distressing incident.”

