A “VULNERABLE” man jumped into the river at Worcester but a specialist swimmer from the fire service plunged into the icy water to save his life.

Crews from Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service were called to the river Severn in Worcester at about 4.40am on Saturday following reports of a man in the water near Hylton Road (as we reported on Saturday).

The man, aged in his 20s, spent half an hour in the water after jumping in off the river bank and was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester in a hypothermic state.

A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust said they received a call at about 4.50am, amd a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle plus an ambulance crew joined police and fire crews.

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said the man was spotted by members of the public who called 999. He said: “He was seen to jump into the river from the banks close to the Worcester News office.

"He was pulled from the river close to the rowing club in a hypothermic state and taken to A&E.”

The police said he was discharged from hospital later that day and is known to be a “vulnerable individual”.

One fire crew from Worcester attended, along with water rescue boats from Worcester and Evesham, plus a water first responder team from Upton.

Watch Commander Carl Horsburgh said: “Our rescue crews were at the scene within five minutes of receiving the call, arriving to find that the river bank in the immediate area had already been searched.

“The water rescue boat from Worcester was immediately launched with a swim rescue team aboard and we quickly located the casualty in the river.

A rescue swimmer then entered the water, and assisted by colleagues on the boat, managed to bring the man safely aboard.”

The boat crew then returned to the shore, and passed the casualty into the care of paramedics at the steps of the rowing club in Grand Stand Road.”