Mother and child rescued from River Nith Published duration 22 May 2014

A young girl and her mother have been rescued after falling down an embankment into the River Nith in Dumfries.

The child had been cycling when she went off the path and rolled down the embankment into the water between the Dock Park and Kingholm Quay.

Her mother went to her aid but fell and injured herself.

A local man used his boat to reach the pair and the girl was brought ashore further upstream.

Neither of them were badly hurt.

'Pretty steep'

Police, fire and ambulance staff attended after being alerted by members of the public and the Nith Inshore Lifeboat from Glencaple was also called out.

Ian Anderson, Dumfries fire station manager, said: "It appears the girl had been cycling but went off the path and down into the River Nith along with her cycle.

"Her mother had looked down and saw her daughter was distressed. She had taken off down the banking to get her but in the process she injured herself."

He added: "We had water specialists there and we sent them down the banking but because of the nature of the banking, which was pretty steep, one of the local residents took her further upstream to an easier place to get her out."