TWO teenage boys had to be rescued from a river after being swept under a bridge by strong currents.

The two boys, both in their early teens, were swimming in the river Avon at Melksham when they ran into difficulty.

Emergency services, including a rescue boat from Cooper-Avon, were called to Black Bridge, near Murray Walk, at 3pm.

The one-hour operation involved 19 firefighters from Melksham, Chippenham and Trowbridge.

Part of a larger gang of youths, the two swimmers had dived into the river to cool off.

But finding the currents were too strong, the duo clung onto the bridge parapet until the fire brigade arrived.

Station officer Steve Pearce warned that swimming in rivers months was a dangerous idea.

He said: "You get this in the school holidays but this proves how dangerous it is.

"Rescue teams from Cooper-Avon and specialist units were brought in.

The rescue boat is kept at Cooper-Avon for emergencies like this.

"We initially had reports of two people trapped in the river. They made their way across to the parapet but found it too hard to get back. The currents were quite strong.

"The message is don't swim in rivers."

The two teenagers were taken to Melksham Hospital for a check-up but were released the same day.