Brave Norwegian Lars Jørun Langøien plunges into the ice-cold lake in a daring duck rescue

With little thought of his own safety – or warmth – brave Norwegian Lars Jørun Langøien plunged into an ice-cold lake to free the helpless duck.

He managed to pull it up on solid ground, give it a towel and a bit of mouth-to-mouth, actually

Mr Langøien, 38, spotted the duck in distress while he was attending his weekly swim with a work colleague.

Fellow swimmer Yngvil Søholt, 33, was photographing the duck as it wandered along the surface of the ice.

But their amusement turned to horror as Mr Søholt and Mr Langøien watched the billed bird plunge through a hole in the ice.

The pair described how the disorientated duck then couldn't find its way back to the break in the ice.

Mr Søholt continued to photograph the bird as it scrabbled around –centimetres from the surface.