A CYCLIST in Worcester had to be rescued by firefighters after she rode into the river while talking on her mobile phone.

The woman, believed to be in her 20s, was cycling along Kleeve Walk, near Worcester Cathedral and South Quay, at midnight on Sunday.

A spokesman for Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said the woman had been on the phone to her friend as she was riding.

“She wobbled and swerved the bike down the embankment of the river, through all the stinging nettles, and ended up in the River Severn," he said.

“She managed to scream while still holding the mobile phone and alerted her friend. Her friend then managed to ring 999 and we came out."

Firefighters threw lines to the stricken cyclist and managed to pull the woman to safety. They also managed to drag the bike out of the river.

“She was stung from head to foot and was in shock. We got the paramedics there and she was treated for shock, cold and also the stings.

“This is a salutary lesson if every there was one,” he said.

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