Alarm as teenagers stuck on loose jetty
A woman says she feared for the lives of five teenagers who were stranded on an unmoored jetty in a fastflowing river.
The youths were saved by the woman’s husband who used an extendable dog lead to pull them to safety as they rapidly headed towards Bathampton Weir.
Avon Fire and Rescue Service is trying to identify the youngstsers to teach them about the dangers of the water.
The woman said that the group, believed to be aged 13 to 16, claimed the six-metre long jetty had come loose while they were sitting on it.
After they were rescued and had calmed down the teenagers fled before the emergency services arrived.
She said: “They probably thought it was a bit of a laugh. By the time we saw them they were getting stressed because the river was running quite quickly.
“One of the girls was panicking. She said she had a huge fear of water. I think they had no clue there was a weir.
“They were right in the middle with no control whatsoever.
“Luckily they went by an overhanging branch and pulled it, and went towards the bank a bit.
“I know that stretch of water is dangerous, we needed to do something to help them. I tried to keep them calm but I was thinking we need to get this sorted.
“I’m glad we were there and managed to get them off it.
“My husband used an extendable dog lead to throw to them. He got it to them on the third attempt. One of them was savvy enough to attach it to a rope on the front of the jetty and my husband managed to pull them in. We tied the jetty up.”
The Lower Swainswick resident, who runs a cyber security business with her husband, said they were only there by chance walking her friend’s cockapoos, and without the extendable lead there would have been no way to reach the stricken teens.
She added: “We lost a couple of people there swimming a year or two ago.
“I told them when they calmed down they were heading for a stretch of river that’s notoriously dangerous. Then they scarpered.
“The river rescue came about 10 minutes later. I didn’t think they would’ve come as quickly as they did - it’s whether they would’ve come in time.”
Crews from Bath Fire Station were called at 5.32pm. On arrival they made the jetty safe above Bathampton Weir.
Posting on Twitter, Avon Fire and Rescue Service said: “We’re looking for five teenagers who spent the afternoon on a jetty near Bathampton Weir yesterday. We want to invite them to Bath fire station to find out more about the hidden dangers in the water. If it’s you in the photo, DM us to visit our crew for safety advice.”
Cllr Kevin Guy said he and fellow Bathavon North ward member Sarah Warren had put a lifebuoy next to the weir because of the tragic incident in May 2020 when two people died.
“It’s important that everyone is educated about the dangers of fast-flowing water this time of year,” he said.