TWO swimmers have been rescued by Ministry of Defence (MOD) marine police after they abandoned their sinking boat on the River Tamar last Wednesday morning.
Two officers on routine patrol on the river in a rigid inflatable police boat were alerted by Brixham Coastguard to two people in the water near the Tamar Bridge possibly needing assistance.
The police boat responded and found the two men at Saltash Quay on the slipway.
One was standing on the slipway and the other lying face down, half out of the water.
The police officers helped the prone man to stand and he was then taken to hospital by ambulance as a precautionary measure.
The men said they had been forced to abandon their boat on the river when it began to sink due to a missing bung and they had to swim to shore.
Neither was wearing life jackets, although there was one onboard their boat.
The MOD police recovered the men’s boat to Devonport Naval Base for collection by the owner.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here