A ‘HEROIC’ dog walker rescued an eight-year-old boy who got into difficulties after jumping into a river.

Brandon Tither was one of several children playing in Colne Water at an area known as ‘the beach’, behind Colne Cemetery and around a quarter of a mile from the nearest road, Carry Lane.

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The area features a pebbled beach on the waters’ edge and children regularly jump from a tree or a ledge into the water that is around six feet deep.

Brandon, who is understood to attend Park Primary School and lives in Thorn Grove, was with a friend and had told other children at the beach he could swim before he jumped in at around 2.30pm on Saturday.

Twelve-year-old Tia Nolan, who lives nearby with parents Debbie and Chris, was at the beach with friends and saw what happened.

She said: “We were telling him to make sure he could swim before he jumped in. We were just swimming up and down and we said it is better to swim before you go jumping in.

“As we were swimming he jumped in and we heard people shouting ‘he’s drowning, he’s drowning’.

“We started to swim over but a dog walker who was walking past at the time jumped in and pulled him out before we could get there.

“He laid him out on the grass and covered him with towels. I don’t think he was unconscious but he was only responding with little nods.”

Paramedics were called before the North West Air Ambulance then arrived to take the boy to Manchester Children’s Hospital.

He was kept in overnight on Saturday but was due to be released yesterday afternoon.

The incident came just over a year after the death of James Goodship. The 17-year-old drowned while playing in Foulridge Reservoir, and the emergency services have been touring the town with a safety campaign, backed by the tragic youngster’s family.

Tia said: “Even when the paramedics were there people were still jumping in. They had to tell them to stop.

“James was a friend of my older brother so we all know about what happened and the dangers of the water.”

One local resident said the beach was popular with children from all over the town, especially during the hot weather.

Walker Lauren Davies said: “I come past here most days and when it is nice weather at the weekends or during the holidays it is always very busy.

“I don’t think people realise how deep the water is because it is so shallow just a couple of yards away.”

Police have repeated warnings about the dangers of swimming in open water in the wake of the incident.

Insp John Fryer said: “Thankfully a heroic member of the public was able to enter the river and save this youngster’s life.

“But this incident should once again serve as a warning of the potential dangers of playing in open water.

“On hot days it can seem tempting to go for a swim in open water but it can be colder than you think and there are hidden dangers beneath the surface.”

The Royal Life Saving Society has also urged people to stay out of East Lancashire’s open waters as the mercury rises.

The group’s director of volunteer and community education, Mike Dunn, said: “Last year saw a tragic amount of preventable deaths as people flocked to open water sites not suitable for swimming.

“These sites included rivers, quarries, lakes and reservoirs – all of which have many dangers including very cold water, currents, obstacles and uneven depths.

“They look so inviting but can be deadly.”