Policemen honoured for K&A Canal rescue

The bravery of two Wiltshire Policemen who jumped into the cold dark waters of the Kennet & Avon Canal in Devizes to rescue a woman was recognised when they received commendations from the Chief Constable Brian Moore at a ceremony at police headquarters in Devizes on Tuesday night.

Chief Constable Brian Moore, centre, with PC Mark Green, left and PC Andrew List. 

Picture by Wiltshire Constabulary 

PCs Mark Green and Andrew List were called to the canal at Coate Road Bridge in Devizes shortly before midnight on Saturday July 17th and found a woman standing at the water's edge threatening to commit suicide by thowing herself into the canal.

They tried to dissuade her but the negotiations failed and she threw herself into the murky waters of the canal.

The area was extremely dark, lined with trees and with no artificial lighting. PCs List and Green had no idea how deep the water was but without hesitation they plunged into the canal to save the woman.  They ended up in chest high, water and although they could stand up, the bottom of the canal was covered in thick, soft mud which made it extremely difficult to find their footing and walk. 

They managed to pull the woman to the side of the canal and drag her out, a task made harder by the conditions at the scene and the build of the woman.

The woman suffered no ill effects from the incident and she was detained under the Mental Health Act.

Chief Constable Brian Moore praised them for their quick thinking and bravery and said, "It is clear that without the actions of the officers, the lady could have caused serious harm to herself."

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Mother and daughter rescued from River Kennet bog

The Chiltern Air Support Unit were there overseeing the rescue 
and there is a link to their film of the rescue below.

A mother and daughter were rescued after getting into difficulty in a bog beside the River Kennet while walking their dog at the weekend.

They were walking near the river close to Rose Kiln Lane in Reading when the mother fell over in the mud. Her daughter went to help her and rapidly began to sink.

She was up to her chest in the mud with her mother lying next to her when the emergency services got to them after they were located by the police helicopter.

Because of the immediate danger the daughter was in a firefighter and a policeman went into the bog to rescue her at once.

The water rescue team from Caversham Road Fire Station was called in and they used an inflatable rescue sledge to rescue the mother. The mother and daughter were checked out by paramedics and then taken home.

The daughter, who did not want to be named, said, "I thought we were going to die, without the police helicopter, the police, the firefighters and medics I don't think we would have made it. We are so grateful to everyone who helped to rescue us."

View film of the rescue from the Chiltern Air Support Unit at: Dramatic film from Chiltern Air Support Unit

Picture by RNLI Dover

Would you go to sea in a canal or river boat?

By Bob Naylor

Arthur Ransome's 'We didn't mean to go to sea' is one of my favourite books ... but the crew of a 65ft converted river barge did mean to go to sea — and they were trying to get from Belgium to France with no VHF radio and only one lifejacket between the four people onboard in what were clearly very doubtful sea conditions.

They got into difficulties and were taking on water and drifting towards the Goodwin Sands but luckily for them a coastguard station was monitoring their progress and realising there was a problem they alerted the Dover Lifeboat who went out to the troubled vessel in the Dover Straits yesterday (Tuesday 26 October 2010).

In a force 8 gale the life boat crew managed to get a line onto the vessel and took her in tow ... and three hours later she was safe in Dover Harbour. 

The owner is now planning to get the vessel to France — but this time by by road.

Picture by RNLI Dover

RNLI Coxswain, Stuart Richardson said, "I would advise anyone undertaking such a journey to have the correct equipment on board and ensure that each crewmember has their own lifejacket. 

     "It is always advisable to check the weather conditions before setting out to avoid what could have been a catastrophe. 

      "The barge was drifting towards the Goodwin Sands and if the RNLI hadn't come to its rescue the end result could have been a lot different."

If you have ever thought of going to see in a canal or river boat you must watch this film: RNLI river barge rescue in the Dover Straits

The river barge in tow by the Dover Lifeboat. Picture by the MCA