A FATHER out cycling with his young son was today hailed a hero for saving the life of a fisherman who fell into the Leeds and Liverpool Canal after apparently suffering a seizure.

Brian Taylor, 35, of Blackburn Road, Accrington, was cycling along the towpath in Clayton-le-Moors with his five-year-old son Matthew when the drama unfolded.

As they approached the Albion pub near Whalley Road at about midday on Sunday, Mr Taylor's attention was drawn to a middle-aged fisherman who started twitching then fell across the bank.

Mr Taylor, a driver and process operator at Padiham fuel firm Samuel Cooke & Co, said: "I had stopped to let Matthew catch up and I was looking at this guy who was fishing.

"He started twitching and he fell from where he was sitting on the canal bank. His head was in the water and his legs were on the bank.

"I grabbed him by the seat of his pants, pulled him out and put him into the recovery position. I called for an ambulance on my mobile phone and the ambulance control people told me how to look after him. I used my gloves, hat and coat to keep the man warm, and we stayed with him until the ambulance came." Mr Taylor, who took a first aid course through his work, said some young boys who witnessed the incident also gave help by running to Whalley Road and showing the ambulancemen where to go.

The fisherman, who was in a confused state, was taken by ambulance to Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

Paramedic Mike Royle said: "It seems the man had fallen into the canal with his head underwater. Mr Taylor has certainly saved his life. He has done very well and any member of the public who helps someone else like this should be commended. These days too many people turn their back."

We are not exactly sure what was wrong with the man, but he recovered in the ambulance and was talking to us by the time we got to the hospital."

The fisherman, believed to be from Colchester, Essex, is believed to have been visiting relatives in East Lancashire.

Do you know the man who was rescued? Call our newsdesk on 01254 678678.

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