Man speaks of 'relief' after saving woman in river

Paul Sauntson helped another man rescue a woman from the River Severn

A rescuer has spoken of his relief after he helped get a woman out of the river during the recent floods.

Paul Sauntson, 67, helped Colin McGarva pull the woman from the River Severn in Worcester on New Year’s Day at about 09:00 GMT.

He had seen Mr McGarva throw a lifebuoy ring into the water at Sabrina Bridge and rushed over to help.

After Mr McGarva jumped in the water, Mr Sauntson held onto the rope attached to the ring and hauled them both back to dry land.

Speaking to BBC Hereford & Worcester, Mr Sauntson said he was walking his dog close to the racecourse when he heard a shout and saw Mr McGarva waving.

He climbed the steps onto the bridge and saw that he was trying to help a woman who was face down in the water.

• Listen on BBC Sounds to Paul Sauntson's story of what happened

Mr Sauntson said: “We didn’t know at that stage whether she was still alive or not. The guy [Mr McGarva] got in and I held onto the rope. The good news was he managed to turn her over and she was still alive.

“All my effort then was on pulling the rope to get them both back in. The other guy and I grabbed an arm each and we pulled her to safety.”

Paul Sauntson said the relief was 'unbelievable'

The pair then waited with the woman and took care of her before the paramedics arrived.

Mr Sauntson, from Worcester, said it was “natural instinct” that caused him to help save the woman.

“The relief was unbelievable - seeing her face and being able to talk to her, knowing she was still alive,” he added.

Mr McGarva had previously told the BBC about the incident and how he had tried throwing her the ring but she was not grabbing it.

"So I've had to go further down stream, swim into the water, and when she's coming down, I've caught her [and] got her onto the ring,” he said.

"Luckily, there was a gent here that was also helping pull us both out of the water."