A DOG walker who tumbled into a river was saved by passers-by who heard her pleas for help. The woman, in her 50s, fell down the banks of the Avon in Melksham and was stuck waist-deep in mud for nearly an hour.

Other dog walkers eventually heard her shouts and came to the rescue. One resident Jim Macauley threw a rope to the stranded woman.

Fire officers said she had a lucky escape and could have died if passers-by had not helped.

Mr Macauley, 67, of Trent Crescent, ran to the riverbank after neighbours alerted him to the accident.

He said: "I could see she was beginning to shake a little bit. I just held onto the rope to try and reassure her.

"It could have been a nasty incident, especially if she had fallen in at night."

Fire crews from Melksham, including the rescue boat based at Avon Rubber, were called at 4.15pm.

A ladder was used to reach the woman and the rescue attempt was over within 15 minutes but the woman told officers it took nearly an hour for passers-by to hear her screams.

Leading firefighter Steve Purps, based at Melksham, said if the incident had happened at night the woman may never have been found.

"She was starting to suffer from the cold," he said.

"It is lucky it was daylight and people heard her cries. It was clear she was shaking and quite upset."

Assistant Divisional Officer Steve Williams said: "We are attending a lot of incidents where people are trapped in the river or in mud.

"Our training has paid off handsomely in this incident.

"The firefighters acted with safety in mind, and performed the rescue of a woman who, if she was stuck in darkness, could have died."

Residents believe a fatal accident is on the cards as the collapsing banks of the river are a potential death-trap.

Jean Macauley, 59, said she worried for the safety of people using the river.

She said: "Children are always swaying off the bridge and wading in the river.

"It is a wonder no-one has died yet. The river is dangerous."

The woman was treated at the scene by paramedics but did not require hospital treatment.

Fire crews rescued two teenagers in March close to the spot of Monday's accident.

The two boys were swimming close to Black Bridge when they ran into difficulty and were found clinging to the bridge parapets.