AN ABERAERON man has told how he managed to save the life of a holidaymaker who had gone into the River Aeron in an attempt to rescue his pet dog on Sunday.

The man, who was visiting the area from Weston Super Mare with four generations of his family, was trapped underneath a leat after dragging the family’s black Labrador to safety.

As he struggled in the water, a 58-year-old local man – a former member of the Royal Navy – hurled him a lifebelt and pulled him to the bank.

“The guy had saved the dog by grabbing its collar, only to get dragged in himself,” the rescuer – who declined to be named – told the Cambrian News.

“He kept going under the water and on the last occasion was sucked under for several seconds before I finally got the line to him and pulled him clear.

“I will not easily get out of my mind the horror on this man’s face the last time he was sucked under.

“I really think he felt the end was close and his family could only watch helplessly from the river bank.

“The rope in the first lifebelt I threw was too short so I had to hare across the bridge to get to another.

“The kit is right – but in the wrong place. They should be situated by the dam itself because this isn’t the first time someone’s ended up in there.

“These drop-down dams (leats), which are like mini weirs, create pull-back currents that are impossible to escape.

“In other countries they are often removed or altered to allow an escape route, but here in Ceredigion there’s not even a sign warning of the danger.

“I know I saved that guy from drowning, but this is not about me - my big concern is that this will not be last incident of this nature.”

See this week’s South Ceredigion paper for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now