A LOCK keeper was dubbed the “patron saint of swans” in 2003 after he risked his life to rescue a young bird from a watery grave.

Paul Jeffries climbed down 12ft into freezing water without a life-jacket and safety harness to check if Tchaikovsky the swan was alive.

He then returned to the gate opposite Blackburn Royal Infirmary in Bolton Road with reinforcements and a ladder.

And after 15 minutes of struggling in the water he managed to coax Tchaikovsky free from inside the gate’s panels while the young cob’s feathered family anxiously watched.

Tchaikovsky, named after the Russian composer who penned the music for the ballet Swan Lake, lived on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal with his two parents and three siblings.

Tchaikovsky’s entrapment was unfortunately not the end of his ordeal because he had to wait another hour before the RSPCA arrived to take him to the vets for a check-up.

Paul, 28, of Rawstorne Street, Blackburn, first became aware of Tchaikovsky’s predicament after staff from BRI noticed him trapped in the gate while on their way to work. He said: “With the cold weather he could have died, it’s quite lucky really.”

Vanessa Willans, 26, of the RSPCA, pulled Tchaikovsky free and with the help of Paul gave him a quick check-up before placing him into a swan bag.