Dog in distress rescued after falling into river

Crew members from the RNLI's Southwold Lifeboat Station had to rescue a Springer Spaniel from the River Blythe on Thursday evening

A dog in distress had to be rescued after it "flew over" a harbour wall in Suffolk and landed in a fast-flowing river by the sea.

Crew members from the RNLI's Southwold Lifeboat Station were called into action after a Springer Spaniel fell into the River Blythe on Thursday evening.

According to holidaymaker Ian Roe, who alerted the nearby lifeboat volunteers, the dog had "bounded along the beach" before ending up in the water below.

RNLI Southwold crew member Jeremy Taylor said it was the fourth dog to be pulled from the river this year and issued a plea to owners to keep their pooches on a lead.

'Keep dogs on leads'

"The dogs are running along having fun on the beach and they manage to find a gap in the fencing and then there's a big drop in the harbour," he said.

"Owners just need to be aware when they are around the water, be it Southwold or any other harbour or cliffs, that they need to keep their dogs on leads.

"The most important thing is the owners do not go in to try to help them. The best thing for them to do is dial 999 and call the coastguard and they will get us to go and help."

Dog owners have been reminded to keep their pooches on leads when walking them close to the River Blythe and harbour wall

The dog entered the water from the Walberswick side of the river, close to the RNLI lifeboat station at which volunteers had gathered for their weekly training exercise.

"Fortunately, we were on the scene and everyone was there ready, so it was very quick and the dog did not have to swim for too long," added Mr Taylor.

"We then took the dog up the river to the Walberswick Ferry pontoon and returned it to its owners, who were really pleased, grateful and apologetic.

"They had two dogs and the other one was pleased to see his friend and wanted to join it on the boat when we came to the shore."

'It could have been so different'

Mr Roe, who has been visiting Southwold for 46 years, said he believed the outcome for the dog could have been much worse if not for the RNLI.

"At first I thought someone had thrown a rock into the water but it was someone's dog," he said.

"I quickly alerted one of the lifeboat volunteers that a dog had entered the water and was struggling against the fast-flowing current.

"The crew was out in a flash and thankfully it was a successful rescue, but it could have been so different."