Praise for Shrewsbury river heroes who rescued person from water 'just in time'
Water rescuers have praised as 'heroes' two members of the public who helped to save a man from the River Severn.
West Mercia Search and Rescue say a life ring was thrown "just in time" as the man was struggling and "starting to go under" in the early hours of Sunday.
A spokesman for West Mercia Police said they and the West Midlands Ambulance Service attended and no injuries were reported. A man was taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital as a precaution.
A spokesman for WMAS said: "We were called to reports of a patient in the water near to Victoria Avenue at 1.29am on Sunday morning.
"One ambulance and a paramedic officer attended the scene. On arrival we discovered one male patient who following treatment was taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for further treatment."
Emergency services had received a call "reporting an incident classified as Water Rescue in Shrewsbury". The search and rescue crew did not attend the incident but spoke out in praise of the actions of others.
The fast-acting members of the public have not yet been named. But a spokesman for West Mercia Search & Rescue volunteers say they would like to recognise the heroic actions of the members of the public and the emergency services.
"Two members of the public saw the person in the water and managed to throw a life ring to them, just in time as they were struggling and starting to go under," the spokesman said.
"An ambulance officer was then able to assist with the rescue and grab the life ring's rope.
"Two police officers then also assisted with getting the person from the water."
The search and rescue spokesman added: "West Mercia Search and Rescue, as part of the Home and Dry Water Safety network would like to recognise the heroic actions of those who threw the life ring, and the emergency services who then went above and beyond to get the person to safety.
"The importance of the life rings and awareness of water safety is a message that all local agencies are trying hard to push to the night time economy, clubs, schools and groups via our online training and events."
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said two fire appliances, including the Water Rescue Unit, were sent from Shrewsbury and Baschurch, along with police and ambulance crews.
The service said the person was "rescued from water prior to fire service arrival and now in care of ambulance service".
Sunday's rescue is the latest in a series of incidents this year involving people in the River Severn in the county town.
Two young men, Nathan Fleetwood and Toby Jones, both died in Shrewsbury's River Severn in the space of a matter of days in March and April, while another man, Dan Walker, has been left with life-changing injuries after being rescued from the water.
The tragedies have prompted a review of river safety with from families, friends, and campaigners calling for more work to be done to prevent future incidents – including the possible introduction of fences, river wardens, or more CCTV.
Shropshire Council's cabinet has been promised there will be no delay to findings from the review.
