A TAUNTON police hero who dived into the icy cold River Tone to rescue a drowning woman has received major national bravery and life-saving awards.

PC Phil Bagg also helped paramedics resuscitate the woman on the bank of the river during the dramatic incident.

He was the first officer on the scene after a member of the public spotted the woman in the water in appalling weather on the evening of January 12 last year.

Despite freezing temperatures and muddy banks, PC Bagg jumped straight in despite potential danger to himself.

Now he has been awarded a Royal Humane Society Testimonial on parchment and a resuscitation certificate for his fight to save the woman, whose heart had stopped beating.

Sadly the woman died the following day, but there was no doubt that the early treatment she received played a major role in giving her the best chance.

Andrew Chapman, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, said: "A lot of people might have thought twice about going into the river in the conditions that were present that day, but PC Bagg didn’t hesitate.

“He risked his life going into the water after the woman and then dragging her to the safety of the river bank, where he immediately began administering CPR. Unhappily the woman died the next day.

“However, the sooner CPR is started the better the chances are that the person it is being carried out on will survive.

"Thanks to PC Bagg the woman was in good enough condition when the paramedics arrived that they were able to resuscitate her for a short time.

“Although she died, PC Bagg did all he could and was the true hero of the day. He richly deserves the awards he is to receive.”

The Royal Humane Society was founded in 1774 with the aim of promoting techniques of resuscitation.

As it emerged that numerous people were prepared to put their own lives at risk to save others, the awards scheme evolved and today a variety of awards are made depending on the bravery involved.

Since it was set up, the society has considered more than 87,000 cases and made more than 200,000 awards.

The society is a registered charity which receives no public funding and is dependent on voluntary donations.