Mother and daughter talk man down from jumping into river from bridge

Dressed in a grey hoody and jeans, the 25-year-old was teetering on the safety railings of the swing bridge in Newhaven late yesterday evening, preparing to plunge into the River Ouse.

The Newhaven man told police on the scene that if they approached him he would jump into the water, about 8C and freezing cold in the wind.

He began to lower himself from the bridge and as he let go, the mother from nearby Peacehaven managed to grab his wrists.

Police officers, who had been waiting at a discreet distance, dashed forward to help and pull the man back to safety.

Sergeant Kevin Leete, of the Newhaven police neighbourhood response team, was among officers who responded to the emergency.

He said: "The two women who engaged with the man and who were the first to grab him as he let go showed great presence of mind and, indeed, courage as they hung on to him while officers ran in to help.

"They were also in some danger as the man was struggling to release himself and the river below was approaching high tide, which generates strong currents."

Police were alerted at 10.45pm when the mother, from Peacehaven, rang to report the man standing on the north side of the bridge, threatening to jump and kill himself.

She and her daughter, who together with her husband had been travelling east in a car on the A259 when they spotted him, tried to calm him as officers raced to the scene.

The coastguard was also alerted, with Newhaven lifeboat scrambled at about 11pm.

Another couple from Carshalton, Surrey, used ropes and a life buoy to try to help secure him as he struggled to break free.

Sgt Leete added: "Everyone involved did just the right things and probably saved this man's life.

"Given the tide and temperatures, plus the height of the bridge, the consequences could have been much more serious."

The man was detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act and taken to Eastbourne District General Hospital for treatment.