Boater saves drowning child

A BOATER moored at Welford on the Grand Union Canal rescued an 18 months old child from drowning after he fell in.

It was a bang followed by a splash that alerted Riki Kittel that something was wrong, to go outside to see a child staring up at her in the water, Alan Tilbury tells us.

Lifted his hand

She bent down to attempt to rescue the young boy, and it was only when he lifted his hand that she could grab him and pull him out.

The boy, who was with his parents who had gone ahead, had fallen in between the narrowboat and the bank, and Riki was relieved that he had been able to lift his hand and had not lost consciousness.

Pushed boat out

She had pushed the boat out, to enable her to grab the boy's hand.

This was the second time Riki had witnessed an incident with a child, when one on a cycle fell into a lock near where they moor.