Police officer wades into freezing lake to rescue woman and dogs in Rotherham
A police officer waded into a freezing lake to rescue a woman and her two dogs – the day after three boys died after falling through ice in Solihull.
Officers from South Yorkshire Police's off road bike team were on patrol at Silverwood Nature Reserve in Thyrbergh, Rotherham, on Monday, when they heard cries for help.
They found a woman knee-deep in the lake holding onto one dog while her second dog was struggling in the water.
PC Jamie Walker waded in to help the woman and her pets to safety.
He said: "This incident had a good outcome, everyone was safe, albeit some soggy footwear. However it could have been very different as we have seen from the absolutely devastating tragedy in Solihull this week."
The incident happened after three boys aged eight, 10 and 11, died after falling through the ice in Solihull on Sunday. A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital.
On Monday, police in York issued a warning after a group of children were seen trying to crack the ice on a frozen lake. On the same day, two youths were seen on top of a frozen pond in Doncaster, 25 metres from the water's edge.
PC Walker added: "Please know where your children are playing, their usual safe places may not be safe now winter has arrived, and be aware on your regular, local walks with your dogs - as the seasons change, so do the risks."
She told the officers she had followed her dog into the water after it chased a swan onto the ice.
Insp Lee Carlson, of the operational support unit, said: "We share a multitude of advice as the cold weather approaches, but it’s important that people don’t think ‘that won’t happen to me’.
"With the increase in freezing conditions even your routine that you have done every day may need to change, and that may be something as simple as walking your dog on the lead, not off.
"This incident is a reminder of how easy it can be to get into difficulty and distress in open water."
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