A man rescued from a Chippenham river was ‘fleeing police officers’.
Emergency services rushed to reports of a male entering the water from the bridge in High Street at around 1.40pm this afternoon (Friday).
He was swept downstream towards a radial gate, but managed to grab onto a firefighter’s pole.
“A man has been taken to hospital after officers stopped a vehicle in Chippenham this afternoon at approximately 1.40pm,” a spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said in a statement.
They added: “The man ran from officers and jumped in the nearby river. We requested the assistance of the fire and rescue service to help rescue the man.”
It took some negotiation to get the man to exit the water… knowing full well he was likely to be arrested by waiting officers.
The man held on for some time before a ladder was placed over a fence and into the water. He was able to climb out successfully.
He was taken into an ambulance and subsequently admitted to Royal United Hospital as a precaution.
Fire crews and specialist rescue firefighters from Chippenham, Trowbridge, Devizes and Avon Fire and Rescue Service were called to the incident.
A spokesperson from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service added: “Wiltshire Police requested our attendance at Town Bridge, Chippenham at 2.15pm today (15 March) to help them with an on-going incident involving a person in the river.”
