Major river rescue to save moped driver

A major rescue operation was mounted in Maryport last night to save a man who had fallen from his moped into the river.

Emergency services including Maryport Coastguard, Inshore Rescue, police and the fire service formed a human chain to get the man from the River Ellen near to the safety of an ambulance.

Four fire crews were involved in the rescue at around 11pm and initially used a nine meter ladder to get down to the river. A rope was tied around the man to get him into a boat.

The moped rider was then taken to the dock slipway where a human chain was formed to carry the stretcher to safety.

The rescue happened during difficult conditions when the tide was flooding. The moped rider had been in the water for 45 minutes before his rescuers arrived.

A spokesman for Maryport Inshore Rescue said: “Once on scene, the team made a quick assessment and extracted the casualty from the water and made their way back to our slipway where he was re-assessed, minor first aid given before the arrival of the ambulance service.

“The casualty was then taken to hospital for further treatment.”