A BRAVE Evesham police officer has spoken of the midnight rescue of a woman he plucked from the perilous River Severn in Worcester.

PC Sean Haines, aged 30, plunged into the black waters after being flagged down by a member of the public as he drove with his colleague Darren Ball to the city police station.

He and his colleague pulled off their boots and waded into the darkness after the woman had began to flounder, suffering the onset of hypothermia.

Police spokesperson Kim Stain said the two officers are now being considered for a bravery award following their actions on Saturday night.

Mr Haines, whose wife Rebecca is expecting their first child, said: "I didn't really have time to think about what I was doing - it was a natural reaction when we realised the state of the woman.

"It is perhaps not the best thing for an expectant father to do - but my family were very proud, after they got over the shock."

The policemen decided to go into the river when the woman started coughing and sinking lower in the water after she failed to grasp a life ring. "It was very dark and I couldn't see if there was a current. She was very distressed and we just reacted to the situation - any of my colleagues would have done the same."

Despite the almost complete lack of visibility the officers waded out to chest height, treading water as the riverbed disappeared beneath them.

The woman, who has not been named, was treated for hypothermia after being pulled from the river. She was taken to Worcester Royal Hospital by ambulance but she refused further treatment and discharged herself.

The rescue came less than a month after 21-year-old Herefordshire man Lee Muldowney drowned after leaping off Worcester Bridge.

Mr Haines said that the River Avon is just as hazardous as the Severn. "It does not matter if it is the middle of the summer, it is still very cold in that water and people will not last long."

The river rescue was the first in Mr Haines' seven-year career. "I would hope to avoid any similar situations in the future," he said. "I would like to urge people to carefully consider the dangers of our rivers."