A 19-YEAR-OLD man was rescued from a river after falling 20 feet from a bridge.

The man was on the bridge near Woodhill Road, Bury, at around 10pm on Tuesday night when he slipped and fell into the shallow water below. Friends helped to drag him out of the water and on to a bank before fire crews arrived.

They lowered a cradle to the man, strapped him to a stretcher and lifted him on to the bridge. He was taken to Fairfield Hospital, where he is being treated for suspected leg and rib injuries.

Firefighter Graham Bradshaw from Bury Fire Station said: "This young man was lucky that his friends were around to help get him out of the water. Had they not been there, the consequences could have been very grave."

"The warning to people is not to play on bridges at any time.