Man Missing After River Plunge

A Dramatic search operation continued into last night after a man was swept away in a river.

The 40-year-old fell into the River Trent close to Dunham Bridge, west of Lincoln, after attempting to free his boat from a mud bank.

The man’s father – who was also on the boat – threw a life belt into the water but was unable to rescue his son as he disappeared from view.

Emergency services from Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire – including the air ambulance – were scrambled after being alerted at 12.15pm.

Inspector Neil Bellamy, from Nottinghamshire Police, was at the scene.

He said: “A male has gone into the water and then disappeared from sight. As the boat was coming round a bend in the river we believe the current swept it onto a sand bank.

“Although we believe the man could swim, this is a very dangerous stretch of water and the current becomes particularly strong beneath the surface.”

Specialist divers were brought to the scene to comb the river bed and a police helicopter made overhead sweeps in an attempt to locate the man.

Angler Stuart Wolosiuk (35), from Dunham-on-Trent, regularly visits the stretch of water.

He said: “I come down here every weekend and know just how dangerous it is. Although it can look quite calm on the top the current is very strong under the surface and can quickly sweep a person downstream. I wouldn’t consider going too far into the water.

“Only last week I saw teenagers diving into the river. It’s very worrying.”

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