A MALVERN pensioner had a near-death experience after a riverbank collapsed taking him with it.

Harry Burns, aged 89, was fishing at the River Lugg at Stoke Prior, near Leominster, on Wednesday when the bank collapsed sending him flying into the river.

Luckily he managed to grab hold of a branch but he was in the freezing water for over an hour while a rescue was mounted.

Speaking from his home in Worcester Road on Thursday, Mr Burns, who was awarded the British Empire Medal for his service as a fireman during the war, said he was he bit stiff, but otherwise very well.

"I was sitting on a little stool on the side of the river when the bank just gave way and the stool and I just disappeared into the river," he said.

"The water came up to my waist and I suppose my head was level with the bank. I tried to scrabble up but there was just no way."

His friend, Peter Satchell, from Broadwas-on-Teme, who is in his 60's, tried to haul him out unsuccessfully and then went to a nearby farm for help.

"I was in a terrible state by then. I was waiting all by myself for about an hour and all sorts of things started going through my mind, including funeral details.

"I've been fishing all my life, since I was ten, and this has happened before but I'm not a fit man anymore," said Mr Burns.

While they were waiting for the fire brigade Mr Satchell and Vivien Price from the farm tried again to save Mr Burns by tying a rope to the tree and round his body but to no avail.

Eventually Leominster firefighters hauled him out, climbing down a ladder into the water and lifting him onto dry land.

"I was frozen dead stiff by then and they wrapped me up in foil and took me to Hereford general," said Mr Burns, "I'm going to go fishing again but next time I'll choose a safer place to sit!

"Everybody who helped me was excellent, especially the farmer's wife who was very concerned. They couldn't have done more. My only criticism is of me for being so damned stupid!"