THERE were dramatic scenes on York’s River Ouse as volunteers from York Rescue Boat repeatedly ‘rescued’ a ‘casualty’ from the water.

Members stood on the bank side near Blue Bridge to throw floats into the water and drag them in to dry land and then the rescue boat came hurtling down the river to perform another ‘rescue’ operation.

A spokeswoman said the event on Wednesday evening had been a training exercise for the boat’s latest cohort of probationers and its biggest to date.

“They all did a fantastic job - as did the staff doing the training,” she said.

“The two team members in the water - in dry suits and helmets - had to be rescued five times, and we’ll be doing it again at the end of the month for the rest of the probationers.

“The Fire & Rescue Service and CCTV get notified in advance so they know it’s us, and it went out on social media,” she added.