A WORCESTER policeman in line for a bravery award has told how he fought freezing temperatures to save a canoeist from drowning in a flooded river.

PC Andy Bennett is one of 10 people shortlisted for the Vodafone Life Savers Awards following his heroics in saving a woman at Kempsey earlier this year.

"I was just doing my job," said the father-of-three. "It was one of those things I think anyone would do in similar circumstances. It's nice to think that other people think I was brave."

Recalling the incident, he said he was called to the church in Kempsey after reports of a woman caught in floods.

"The mud was very deep and it was hard work to walk across the fields. I was shouting for her as I went and she shouted back just as I was beginning to think I'd never find her.

"I didn't know who else was on their way so I thought I'd better try to rescue her. I'm a fairly strong swimmer so I took off everything except my trousers and waded in."

He said that despite freezing temperatures he was able to swim, following a fence line to reach the woman who was hanging onto a branch.

"I grabbed her hand and we set off. The current was very strong and at one point she started to get swept away. Fortunately her canoe paddle helped us to stay together.

"It took about 10 minutes to get her safely out of the water."

Despite her harrowing ordeal the woman was fine, apart from being cold.