Woman pulled from icy River Till near Wooler

Dec 24 2009 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

A RESCUE team faced a race against time to reach a woman who was trapped in her car as it filled with water in a fast-flowing river yesterday.

The dramatic rescue was launched early yesterday morning after the 55-year-old woman’s car careered of the road and plunged into freezing water near Wooler, in Northumberland.

Brave police officers waded into the river before smashing the window and hauling her from her blue Nissan Note at around 12.50am.

Rescue helicopters from RAF Boulmer and RAF Kinloss were scrambled during the operation, alongside an ambulance, fire services and lifeboats.

Call handlers in the police control room spoke to the driver over the telephone and established her exact location as officers raced to the scene.

Last night, Det Insp Allan Brown, of Northumberland Area Command, praised the rescuers who had kept their cool to free the woman and give her emergency treatment.