A MAN walking his dog was rescued from the River Ouse in York on Saturday, by police and a passing councillor.

Members of North Yorkshire Police's city centre team were alerted to the man after he entered the Ouse near Skeldergate Bridge at about 7.30pm yesterday.

Councillor Nigel Ayre was passing by when a woman on her phone approached him and asked where they were so she could guide police to the scene.

Cllr Ayre said: "I went down and got the life ring and handed it down the river bank to him. I could hardly see him.

"Police arrived and myself and some PCSOs put the rope around a tree and hoisted him out. He was about waist deep about 100 yards from the concrete steps, but didn't want to submerge himself further to get to them, so we managed to physically pull him by the rope of the life ring."

Police took to social media to say the man was "very lucky" after he had "tripped over the dog lead and slipped on the bank".