A FIRE chief has issued a warning after the inshore boat unit, based at Eccles, plucked a 27-year-old man to safety from the River Irwell in Manchester city centre.

An eight-man crew were called to Bridge Street at 5.30am on Saturday after the man, who was on a stag night out, jumped into the river and got into difficulty.

“This could easily have been a case of us pulling a dead body out of the river,” said Eccles watch manager Baz Hulme.

“There are rivers in Bolton and Manchester in which the water is just as cold in the summer as it is in winter.

“Just because it’s a warm night, it does not mean it is a good idea to go in the rivers.”

The man taken to hospital by ambulance, suffering from hypothermia.