Woman dramatically rescued from frozen river after jumping in to try to save her dog

A police warning has been issued after a woman and her dog were pulled from the frozen waters of the River Tyne in Haddington.

The woman jumped in to the East Lothian river to save her dog this morning after it became stuck under the thick covering of ice.

Firefighters were called to the scene at about 9am on Saturday and managed to rescue the woman from the water, but her dog sadly perished.

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Police issued a warning after there were reports of local children out playing on the ice.

The incidents have sparked a police appeal warning the public not to step foot on frozen rivers, no matter how safe they may appear.

In this instance the warning has been issued to The Sands area of Haddington.

A police spokesperson said: “Don’t be tempted to walk onto a frozen river - there is still a current flowing underneath and the surface won’t look any different whether it’s thick or thin.

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“Keep dogs under control and make sure children are aware of the dangers.”

An eyewitness, who took pictures of the incident involving the woman and her dog, said “every available appliance” was sent to rescue the stricken pair.

They added that the woman had two Labradors, both of which had gone into the water, with only one able to get out on its own accord.

The incident follows the rescue of a man who fell on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh in icy conditions on Friday night.

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The 42-year-old local man broke his foot and was unable to make his way down the 251m (823ft) hill.

A Tweed Valley mountain rescue team spokesman said: “Although a popular hill in the middle of Edinburgh, visited by many hundreds of people daily, the conditions were especially tough as the ground was frozen solid, making conditions very difficult for the rescue parties.”

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