A BRAVE grandfather pulled a woman and her courageous rescuer to safety from a swollen river during the floods with just one arm, using a life ring, and injuring his shoulder.

Paul Sauntson ran across the Sabrina Bridge to help hero Colin McGarva pull a woman from the freezing River Severn in Worcester on New Year's Day.

The 67-year-old of Battenhall Road hurt his shoulder when he pulled Mr McGarva and the woman out of the river, holding the life ring rope in one hand and his son's dog, show Spaniel Archie, in the other.

Worcester News: CUTE: Archie the Spaniel was held by Mr Sauntson as he pulled Colin McGarva and the woman to the bank of the River Severn with the other hand CUTE: Archie the Spaniel was held by Mr Sauntson as he pulled Colin McGarva and the woman to the bank of the River Severn with the other hand (Image: Supplied)

After Mr McGarva's own dog, a German Shepherd, had pulled over the woman looking after him during the rescue, he felt he had to hold on to his dog.

As previously reported, new dad Mr McGarva, 31, was the first person to spot the woman floating down the river at around 9am and called out for help, also trying to flag down drivers on Hylton Road.

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Mr Sauntson, who ran manufacturing companies before he retired, was taking photographs of the river from Grandstand Road (the other side of the river) when he heard Mr McGarva shouting and then saw him waving.

"My immediate thought was 'somebody must be in the river!' I ran across the Sabrina Bridge. I think the poor dog wondered what was going on even though he does love a good run.

Worcester News: HERO: Colin McGarva HERO: Colin McGarva (Image: Facebook)

Colin did not throw in the life ring until I got there," he said.

Mr Sauntson pulled them both to the river bank before Mr McGarva managed to get himself out and they carried the woman out of the water together, one either side of her.

"I did my shoulder in. But I'm taking paracetamol. I could only use one arm because I had my son's dog in the other, which really put a lot of pressure on my shoulder," he said.

Mr McGarva went to check on the woman who had been looking after his dog (she had been pulled over) while Mr Sauntson remained with the woman who had been recused from the river. 

He said Mr McGarva should receive an award for bravery.

Mr Sauntson added: "He jumped in the water. That's something a bit special. He did wait until I got there. That's why he was waving frantically from the other side. If he had gone in before I got there, he might have struggled.

"It's a strange thing. I think I would have gone in had he not. I went in the water up to my ankles. I was thinking 'if I don't stay on solid ground, I'm never going to pull them out'."

Mr Sauntson believes it was fortunate the river had not been up too long as the ground was not that soft or boggy.

West Mercia Police, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, including a fire engine and a boat crew, and West Midlands Ambulance Service all attended the incident - but the pair had already managed to pull the woman from the water.

Mr McGarva, a manager at Purple Cactus Properties, had been concerned, both for the welfare of the woman he rescued from the flood water and a second woman who looked after his dog while he carried out the rescue.

His German Shepherd had pulled her off her feet and he told the Worcester News he was worried her act of kindness had left her with a broken arm during the fall.