Emergency services were called to the River Irwell in Summerseat yesterday afternoon after two kayakers got into difficulty.

A man and a teenage boy were trapped on the embankment of the river near Bass Lane after their kayak overturned.

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Two fire engines and an ambulance, response vehicle and hazardous area response team attended, and both casualties were rescued with a line set up by fire crews.

Both were assessed by ambulance crews and were not said to have suffered any injuries.

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A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “At around 2.30pm (Thursday, 4 January) firefighters were called to reports of two people trapped on the embankment of the River Irwell near Bass Lane in Bury.

“GMFRS worked with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service to send two fire engines from Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall fire stations to the scene, along with a drone and the water incident unit from Eccles fire station.

“Crews set up a line rescue to retrieve two people from the riverbank, who had become stuck when their kayak capsized. The casualties were assessed at the scene by colleagues from the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS).

“Crews were at the scene for around two hours.”

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A spokesperson for North West Ambulance Service: “We have responded to an incident on the Irwell involving an overturned kayak following a call at 2.45pm.

“An ambulance, response vehicle and our Hazardous Area Response Team attended. A man and a teenage boy were rescued from the river and assessed by an ambulance crew.

“They didn’t suffer any injuries.”