Man in fall by river is rescued

A man was rescued from a river bank suffering from hypothermia after tripping and falling into brambles.

The 35-year-old narrowly escaped freezing to death when a passerby spotted him caught in bushes along the River Severn in Stourport.

He was pulled to safety by firefighters who untangled him from the brambles, which broke his fall into the water yesterday at 3pm.

The man had been walking along the river's edge at the end of Power Station Road when he tripped and banged his head, before falling down the embankment.

It was feared at first he had fallen into the water.

Kidderminster fire station watch manager Mick Rowlands said: "Luckily for him he was stopped by some sapling trees.

"His head was kinked in a terrible position. The water was about 4ft deep near where he fell. He was spotted by a member of the public. It was a good job he was because he would have expired from hypothermia."

Crews gave him oxygen. The air ambulance arrived to take him to hospital.