A MOTHER has called for safety measures beside a river where her son fell into the water in his pram.

Daisy John said 18-month-old Otis was trapped underwater for a horrifying couple of seconds before she managed to release him.

The toddler suffered no ill-effects but Miss John said there could have been a tragedy if it had been a few metres downstream.

She was walking beside the river from Tesco in Taunton towards French Weir Park with her friend, Stacey, last Thursday.

“Stacey had her son on her back and realised he’d lost a wellie,” said Miss John, of Richmond Road.

“I turned round to help find it, but when I let go of the pram, I didn’t put the brake on.

“Otis was out of my sight for a couple of seconds when I heard Stacey scream.

“I knew instinctively what had happened, so I started to run after the pram and saw it go into the water.

“The pram was on top of him, so I had to dive in and get it off him.

“When I turned him up the right way, Otis was freezing and screaming.”

The two women took him to the Weir Cafe, where they dressed him in spare dry clothes Stacey had with her as Otis’s were soaking wet.

Paramedics rushed to the scene and an air ambulance was scrambled as a precaution, although it was stood down before it arrived.

Pub manager Miss John said: “They checked him over and he was okay.

“I was in shock and even now I keep playing it back in my mind.

“If it had been raining or windy, the pram could have moved to the dangerous weir.

“I should have put the brake on and shouldn’t have let go of the pram, but it only takes a second.

“It was a human mistake.”

Miss John contacted Taunton Deane Borough Council, who offered an “amazing and helpful” response.

She wants others to be aware of the danger and would like safety railings installed.

A TDBC spokesman said: “The council has been made aware of the incident and is currently working with its partners to ensure that this area is safe for the public to enjoy.”

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