Licensees help save drowning cyclist

The licensees of a Worcester pub are being hailed as heroes after they rescued a drowning cyclist from a canal. Richard Wilkins and his wife Wendy, who run the Punch-owned Cavalier Tavern, pulled the cyclist to safety from the freezing waters of the Worcester to Birmingham canal near their pub. The 37-year-old cyclist had fallen into the water while trying to dodge a fallen tree. His cries alerted a passer-by who ran into the Cavalier for help. The licensees and a postman who was drinking in the pub rushed to the spot where they found Steven Kingett struggling to stay afloat. Wilkins said: "It was dark and wet and he was slipping under the surface of the water when we found him. He went under as we approached and he was trying desperately to cling to the side. It took four of us to pull him out. "My wife rang an ambulance while we got him into some dry clothes in the pub. He was so weak from the cold that he could hardly stand up. "We've only been in six months and we don't want too many incidents like this." Kinglett spent two hours at Worcestershire Royal Hospital recovering from his ordeal. He said later: "I would like to say a thank you to the people that saved my life. If it hadn't had been for them I would not be here today. "The cold had got to me and I was so weak that I just couldn't pull myself up." He returned to the pub the next day to thank the couple for saving him.