A MUM from Worcester jumped in the sea to rescue a man who had dived off Bournemouth pier and knocked himself out.

Emma Nicklin, of Tunnel Hill, Worcester, was at at the beach on holiday on Friday, July 29 when she saw the 28-year-old man jump into the sea from the pier.

The 36-year-old mother-of-two noticed a group of around 10 men in their mid to late 20s who “looked like they’d been drinking” and were “trying to throw one of the lads over the pier”.

She said: "The tide was out a bit so the water was only around 4ft deep. I was watching the lads thinking ‘oh my God, the water’s not deep enough’. You could see people swimming nearby who were only waist-deep.

“One of the lads then dived off the pier. He hit the bottom and knocked himself out. He was face down and bobbing on the water. You could see the panic on his friends’ faces.

“I went running straight in – it was just instinct, I think. There were quite a few people around, but it was only me and one other lady who helped get him out of the water.

“I put him into the recovery position and sat with him. He was out stone cold and there was blood coming out of his mouth.

“After three or four minutes, the man became responsive. I stayed talking to him and kept him warm until the ambulance arrived.”

A spokesperson for Bournemouth council said seafront staff attended and assisted in the incident, which saw the man hospitalised.

They said jumping from the pier is “both prohibited and extremely dangerous and seafront staff work with the police to enforce this bylaw wherever possible”.

Miss Nicklin, who was with her partner and seven-year-old son when the incident happened, condemned the man’s actions as a “bad example” to youngsters who may have been watching.

“It could have been a lot worse - he could have broken his neck or even died. The lads were obviously having a laugh but it went terribly wrong.”

She told the Worcester News she followed her gut instinct as a mother.

"I did it because I'm a mum-of-two and, if it was my children, I would want someone to do something.

"There was nothing heroic about it for me. I would have done it for anyone."

South Western Ambulance Service confirmed the incident and said they were called at 6.35pm on Friday to reports a man was unconscious.

“We sent two crews and he was taken to Poole Hospital,” they said.

The RNLI has since issued a fresh warning about the dangerous practice of jumping or diving off piers and other structures.

Keith Colwell, community incident manager, said: “A number of people have been left so badly hurt by jumping from a height into the sea that they will never walk again."