A woman has been rescued from the River Severn in Shrewsbury by police and two passers-by, who braved the bitterly cold water to drag her to safety.

The woman, believed to be in her 30s, went into the river from the Welsh Bridge, yesterday.

Police officers Michael Dulson and Darren Holmes, and passers-by Martin Wood and Simon Pearce, all went into the water to help the woman, just after 10am.

Police chiefs today paid tribute to their efforts, without which they said, there was every chance the woman could have died.

The woman was not injured but was taken to hospital by ambulance to be checked over.

She has since contacted police to pass on her thanks and appreciation to all those who helped her.

Mr Pearce, 37, is from Nottingham but was working in Shrewsbury at Theatre Severn. He said: “I had literally just arrived at the theatre for work about five minutes before.

“I did stop at first as I have a family of my own and did think about the risks.

“But when she went under the water, the instinct just kicked in.”

Mr Wood, 52, from Hanwood, was also at the theatre for a yoga class with his wife when they saw the woman go into the water from the balcony.

“We ran down and were calling to her from the side at first, trying to keep her calm and encouraging her to move closer to us,” Mr Wood said.

“I am a very strong swimmer and as she came closer to the side, I realised I could probably get in and grab her so I waded in.

“The officer was just behind me and between us we managed to pull her up and get her to the side.”