A warning has been issued to people walking by the River Ivel on the outskirts of Biggleswade after an elderly couple had to be rescued on Sunday afternoon.

The emergency services were called to action after a man fell into the river, near the underpass for the A1, which prompted his wife to go in after him.

The pair were reportedly helped out of the river by a member of the public before Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service – which provided three fire engines, a rescue boat and a special rescue unit from Kempston – came on the scene at about 5.30pm.

A Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “River banks may be slippery or slope away suddenly or be unstable and crumble, so please take care around the edge of water, especially when paths are narrow.

“Look out for trip or slip hazards, especially where it is overgrown, don’t assume a path is safe because you’ve walked it before and take care around paths beside rivers.”

News spread quickly about the couple’s rescue from the river and social media has been awash with people from Biggleswade expressing their happiness that a perilous situation was averted.

One woman wrote on Facebook: “The man fell in and his wife went in after him, they said it was very frightening and took a while for a passer by to find them.

“They have said to say apart from cuts, bruises and bumps, they are okay. Such a lovely couple.”

Another man said: “It’s the emergency services who need the praise for such an excellent response. The first officer on scene wasted no time in pulling a plan together too.”