There were dramatic scenes at Slaithwaite Spa this morning as escapologist Anthony Britton was pulled from the ground unconcious after failing to escape from his Buried Alive stunt.

The Linthwaite daredevil hoped to beat Harry Houdini escaping unaided after being handcuffed and buried in a standard-sized grave under six feet of soil.

But Antony had to be hauled out unconscious by crew members after he failed to break through to the surface almost nine minutes into the escape bid.

A paramedic checks Antony Britton after he is pulled unconscious from the "grave" in his failed Buried Alive escape act

And Antony's not the only one to have tried and failed the daring feat — as the British Pathe film above shows.

In 1949, a Manchester magician called Alan Alan buried himself alive naked in a grave then tried to escape, to mark the anniversary of the death of Houdini.

Unfortunately the 24-year-old did not escape and had to be hastily dug up by crew members.

Click the video above to watch