Man plunges into River Tyne as railing fails

Nov 10 2009 By Sam Wood, The Journal

MYSTERY last night surrounded the collapse of a metal railing that sent a man plunging into the River Tyne.

The man was leaning on the railing on the Newcastle side of the river at Forth Banks, near the Copthorne Hotel, when the top bar gave way and he fell into the icy waters.

It was not clear if the collapse, which can be seen clearly in our pictures taken at the scene just minutes after the accident, was due to corrosion or if the barrier had been tampered with.

Four fire engines and the fire and rescue boat were called to the scene and the man was pulled from the water. He was taken to hospital and treated but was said to be unhurt in the incident.

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: "We had a call from a woman at around 6.30pm yesterday saying a man had fallen into the river."

"She said a man was leaning on the railing which gave way and he fell in. The man was pulled from the river and treated in hospital before going home."

A spokeswoman for Tyne and Wear Fire service said: "We got a call just before 6.30pm about an incident in the Forth Banks area of the city centre. The swift water rescue team looked after the man before the fire rescue boat took him up the river to a waiting ambulance."

A spokesman for Newcastle Council, which has responsibility for the railings, said: "We regularly carry out checks on the barriers and repairs are carried out promptly because of health and safety concerns. We have recently repainted the fences in that area and if any corrosion had been noticed they would have been replaced."