A GROUP of teenage sea cadets helped pull a man to safety after he ended up in the River Tawe.

The group were out on the river training for a competition when they heard shouts alerting them to the 30-year-old man.

He was struggling to stay afloat in the water close to Swansea Marina's sail bridge.

Instructor Rhodri Thomas, 20, said: "We were getting onto the water and people from the Tawe lock gate shouted to us and asked if we could assist with the man, so one of the crews and I raced up to the sail bridge.

"One of our rowing boats was already out on the water and had got there first, and the crew had managed to pull him into the boat and got him to the side of the river."

Mr Thomas revealed the cadets were already well versed in rescues.

"This is certainly not the first time we have had a call like this," he said. "Last year we assisted when a man jumped into the river from the Tawe bridge. It is always good to try and help when people are in trouble."

Commanding Officer for the Swansea Cadets, Lieutenant Billy Davies, said: "This is not the first time this has happened with the cadets on the water and I am very proud of the way they reacted.

"All my staff are well trained on the safety side of things and in how to recover personnel from the water."

The fire brigade, coastguard and ambulance service all responded to the incident, which happened at 7pm on Wednesday evening.

A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said: "We received a call at 6.58pm after reports of an intoxicated male in the water. An ambulance attended the scene and the man was given a check-up. He did not require hospital treatment."

robert.goodman@swwmedia.co.uk