Lowestoft sea wall fall cyclist rescued by friend Published duration 12 May 2019

image copyright Maritime and Coastguard Agency image caption The boy's actions are said to have "kept his friend alive"

A teenage cyclist was rescued from the sea by a friend after losing control of his bike on a wall and plunging 15ft (4.5m) into the water.

His friend has been praised by the coastguard for his actions, "which kept him alive" in Lowestoft on Saturday.

He fell off the wall, near Ness Point, and was in "immediate danger", the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.

The teenager "jumped down" and "lifted his head above the rising sea", the agency said.

When emergency crews arrived, lifejackets were lowered to the boys and they were lifted back over the sea wall using throw lines and a ladder.

The boy who fell sustained head injuries and was assessed and treated by the Magpas air ambulance at the scene.

Both boys were then taken to hospital in a stable condition.

Station commander Andrew Jackson, from Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, described the friend's actions as an "act of heroism" and said they were "really proud of the individual for doing what he's done".

But he said: "We wouldn't encourage people to put themselves at great risk and to leave the rescues to the professionals."

He said it was likely the friend would be recognised for his efforts.

image caption Station commander Andrew Jackson described the friend's actions as an "act of heroism"

image copyright @LowestoftSouth image caption Witness Eva Woodroffe praised the response of the emergency services

Magpas critical care paramedic Steve Chambers said: "We wish our patients a swift recovery.

"Both were extremely fortunate not to have suffered more serious injuries bearing in mind the circumstances of this incident."

image copyright Magpas Air Amublance image caption The Magpas air ambulance attended the scene and assessed the two boys

Eva Woodroffe witnessed the rescue of the boys as she walked her dogs nearby.

"It's quite a drop. I don't know how the first one didn't hurt himself really badly," she said.

"It was high tide so the waves would have been lapping over them.

"People don't realise how strong the sea can be."

The 72-year-old also commended the work of the emergency response teams who attended, which also included lifeboat, police, fire and ambulance crews.