Police help to rescue woman from Whitehaven harbour

Police and emergency services attended Whitehaven harbour this morning after receiving reports of a female being in distress. Just after 8am today, Thursday 13 September, police were notified by a worker at Whitehaven Harbour via a Shopwatch radio that there was a young woman in distress close to the Lighthouse in Whitehaven Harbour.

Police officers quickly left the nearby station and attended the scene, equipped with a throw line.

Before Police Officers could reach the woman, who is local and aged 18, she jumped from the outer harbour into open sea and was followed by a man, a family member in his 40s, who attempted to help her.

Sergeant Chrissie Armstrong was one of the officers who attended the scene. She said: “Police officers and other family members used life rings and a throw line in order to safely recover the man from the water. The woman was only a few metres away from the wall but was unable to help herself so myself and a colleague entered the water in order to recover her to safety where we were able to begin CPR before ambulance crews arrived.

“Paramedics and a doctor arrived on scene very quickly and provided vital medical attention. Both casualties were taken to West Cumberland Hospital for treatment. The man has since been released and the woman is expected to make a full recovery.

“I would like to thank the emergency services, the Whitehaven harbour staff and a member of the public who was willing to use a boat to assist us this morning. Their assistance was appreciated and helped us to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.”