Woman's 'emotional' reunion with river rescuer

A woman who had to be rescued from a river after she jumped in to help her dog has said it was "so emotional" meeting the man who saved their lives.

Alexandra Szilvasi, 36, went into the River Trent at Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire, on 23 February after her Spaniel Snickers got into difficulty when she dived in after a ball.

Steven Ballard has come forward as the fisherman who rushed to help Alexandra and the 10-month-old puppy.

"It's so lovely to be able to have a pint, see Alexandra and Snickers and just chat about what happened," he said.

Steven, from Barrow-Upon-Soar, Leicestershire, said he had been fishing for barbel on 23 February when he heard screams.

"First, I saw the dog was in the water which I knew was quite serious because the river was extremely flooded and then before I knew it, I heard a splash and Alexandra was in the water as well.

"As horrible as it sounds, I did think that because the river was in full winter flood, and it's a dangerous place, if I didn't get down there quick enough the worst case scenario may occur," he said.

The 39-year-old, who has been fishing at Gunthorpe for two years, said the river is "dangerous" and even in the summer months, when the water is low, it is extremely powerful.

"On this day it was about a metre-and-a-half high, really turbulent, debris coming down," Steven added.

The plumber said adrenaline took over, leading him to climb down a ladder on the water's edge and lift Snickers - a cross between a springer spaniel and a cocker spaniel - up on to the river bank.

"Once I took Snickers, Alexandra managed to pull herself up," he said.

"It was only after sitting in the cold light of day, knowing how powerful that river is, that I realised we were just so lucky that it didn't go really really wrong."

Alexandra and Steven spoke after the rescue but did not take each other's details.

"I was in shock. I was just so scared and I thought I was going to lose Snickers and I wanted to say thank you properly," Alexandra said.

The delivery driver, from Bilborough, made an appeal through the BBC for help to find her mystery rescuer and after being sent messages from friends and family, Steven came forward.

"I just really wanted to find him and say thank you with a pint," Alexandra said.

"He deserves it. It would have been impossible to get out without him," she added.

Alexandra said she hopes her story stops others making the same "mistakes" she did.

"Everyone should learn the lesson from us that dogs can be quite unpredictable.

"I never thought she would go in the water because she never did, but one day she did.

"I was super worried. I just really love her and she's my dog, my family.

"I could have called 999, but they wouldn't have made it on time," she added.

A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service previously said it "commends the bystander for their bravery, which contributed to saving a life" - but that it "strongly advises members of the public never to enter the water to rescue people or pets".

"In any situation where someone is in difficulty in the water, please call 999 immediately and ask for the fire and rescue service," it added.

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