Mother and baby in river rescue

The mother and baby were "cold and in shock" after the incident

A mother leapt into a river to save her 17-month-old baby from drowning but had to be rescued herself.

They had been feeding swans by the River Severn in Worcester when the girl fell 10ft into the river and her mother went in after her.

Two people threw lifebelts into the river and held on to the ropes to keep the pair afloat before paramedics arrived at the South Quay.

A man in a nearby motor boat helped pull them out of the water.

The mother and daughter were then taken to hospital.

Josie McCarthy, who was by the river when the incident happened, said: "The woman was sitting there with a friend and she said to the little girl 'let's go and feed the ducks'.

"The next thing I knew the baby was in the water. The mum jumped straight in there."

Quick thinking

Paramedic Keith Williams said he had climbed down the quay wall to talk to the mother in a bid to keep her calm as she clung onto the lifebelt.

He called across to a passing launch whose occupant helped pull the mother and baby out of the water and onto a landing site.

Mr Williams said he thought that without the quick thinking of the public it would have been a "different scenario".

Mr Williams said: "They were quick enough to get these lifebelts into the river, which were put onto mum and supported her until a passing boat came along."

The mother and baby, who were "cold and in shock", were taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital.