IT WAS A WOMAN who found the body of a man in the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
And who now praises the quick action of the emergency services, Janet Friend reports.
It was on Monday morning the 22nd September when boater Cathie Gibbens saw a man in the canal, immediately calling the emergency services and pulling onto bank, she telling:
"The call handler was amazing; I kept apologising to her, and the lady was telling me that it was always better to call, even if we did not know what we saw.
"One thing I want to come out of this is for people to know, if you are unsure whether you should call emergency services, please do call, because it could be serious."
Soon after making the call, the first responders arrived at the scene, with Mrs Gibbens telling it could have only been about three minutes and was incredible, adding:
"The police were absolutely lovely, they were so professional, and they were supporting us as well as each other."
"One of the police officers warned us that they were going to retrieve the body and said he did not want us to see it, which I really appreciated."
The emergency services do not get enough credit for what they have to go through, she told.