'˜Utmost stupidity': Man strips off and jumps into York river

Concerned members of the public called police at around 5.25pm yesterday.

They reported seeing two men strip off their clothes near Ouse Bridge and say they were going to jump into the River Ouse.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “One of the men did not jump and returned to safety. The other, however, did jump into the river.

“Thankfully, he managed to get out of the river where he was arrested and taken into police custody.”

The man was issued with a penalty notice for disorder and fined £90.

The spokesman said: “This was an act of the utmost stupidity. Rivers are dangerous bodies of water and there have been numerous, widely-publicised deaths in York rivers. This incident caused alarm for members of the public who witnessed it, and wasted the valuable time of the emergency services.

“The man should count himself very lucky that he managed to get out of the water and was in a position to be taken into custody. The outcome could have been tragic.”