A HEROINE came to the rescue of a man who she thought was going to throw himself off Worcester's main river bridge.

Amy Salter, aged 21, put her arms around the man's waist to help him after he stripped down to his boxer shorts and climbed up onto the side of Worcester Bridge on Monday night.

"I spent around ten minutes talking to him, trying to calm him down, asking him questions, asking him if he had family, and would they want to lose him?" Miss Salter said.

Miss Salter was walking home after work around 7pm when she saw the man on the bridge looking out over the river. "At first I didn't think anything of it but then it seemed strange because it was so cold, I was surprised someone would be standing there " Miss Salter said.

The man started removing his clothes and Miss Salter feared he would jump into the river.

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She said: "I just went into crisis mode and ran over there."

Miss Salter, from St John's, Worcester put her hands out to try to help him and when he climbed up she kept hold of him to "prevent him hurting himself but also to say 'look, someone's here and I care about you, you don't need to do this.'"

"Hundreds of cars passed but no-one stopped except one man who did get out of the car" Miss Salter said.

"I was on the phone to 999, who were struggling to find the location. He (the man) was constantly saying the mental health system in Worcestershire has failed him. He was saying how they haven't been able to address his issues."

The 21-year-old said the man was coherent and did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs but seemed to have "completely lost hope."

The man eventually came down and started walking away. Police officers arrived at the scene.

Miss Salter said: "I was in shock at this point. More than anything it is the fact that he felt there was no help for him.

"It speaks volumes about the NHS at the moment. I myself have dealt with the mental health services as well as friends. Mental health needs to be a priority, now more than ever. There is still such a stigma."

Police arrived and handcuffed the man.

West Mercia Police said the man was safely detained by police and is now receiving the relevant support.

A spokesman said: "We would like to thank the members of the public who helped the man before our police officers were at the scene."

Whatever you’re going through, you can call Samaritans free any time on 116 123 (this number will not appear on your phone bill), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org to find details of your nearest branch.