Former lifeguard saves guide dog walker from freezing river in Sowerby Bridge

A former lifeguard has been praised by firefighters for rescuing a woman who went into a freezing river to save a trainee guide dog.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said Luke Hartshorn's "clear-headed actions" saved the 66-year-old woman's life when she got into difficulty in the River Calder in Sowerby Bridge on Saturday morning (14 January).

The woman, who did not want to be named, a volunteer guide dog walker, fell into the water while trying to rescue the dog after it slipped into the river.

She managed to avoid being dragged under the water by grabbing onto an overhanging tree.

Her friend then tried to help to get her back on dry land, but then she also slipped down the bank into the water, unable to reach the first woman.

Mr Hartshorn, 35, who was walking his own dog nearby saw the commotion and said he knew he had to act quickly to stop the situation getting worse.

“One woman had already been pulled from the water, along with the dog when I got to the scene,” he said.

"The lady in the water was soaked and looked exhausted. I could see that if she was to let go of the tree things could get a lot worse."

He said it was a "spur of the moment decision" to take off his heavier clothes and boots and go into the water to help.

"People have asked me if it was freezing – it must have been, but I was running on adrenalin so didn’t feel anything," he said.

“I managed to get hold of another branch, held onto the woman, and helped her to bring her arm around the tree so that people on the bank could reach her. Then the crowd pulled me out and as I was getting dressed the fire service and paramedics arrived.”

The chartered surveyor said he had only done one rescue before, when two children got in trouble in the sea as the tide came in quickly, and that the rescue by the river was a "team effort".

“I told firefighters what had happened and then carried on walking my dog," he said.

"It wasn’t until I got home that it all started to sink in."

Assistant district commander Chris Bell was at the scene and said Mr Hartshorn showed incredible bravery.

“He put himself in significant danger to assist the lady who was suffering from exposure to the cold water,” he said.

“When Luke arrived at the scene people were climbing on trees at the water’s edge to try and reach her.“She had been in the water for a prolong period, and although other members of the public did assist in the rescue, the actions of Luke may well have prevented an escalation of the incident due to the cold water, the speed and flow of the river and her location in the trees.”

Mr Bell said people should not put themselves in danger by trying to rescue pets or other animals.

He also said that there were "unnecessary delays" to the fire service response because the first call for help was made using WhatsApp to the local housing estate’s community group rather than calling 999.

“Luck was on their side that a trained lifeguard was able to jump in and assist. Had he not been there, the delay in calling 999 could have had much more serious consequences," he said.

"The river was flowing fast, and the water was extremely cold – the lady is lucky that she didn’t get swept downstream. Thanks to Luke’s quick-thinking actions he was responsible for saving her life."

It was one of the biggest news stories of our time - and it's still not over. So what did Boris Johnson know about Downing Street’s notorious parties? With fresh revelations from our Number 10 sources, in their own words, listen to the inside story...