Mystery man hailed a hero after saving cyclist who plunged into canal

The mystery man leapt into the water at Townhead after hearing the woman’s cries for help.

Risking his own life, he managed to pull the woman to safety.

The drama unfolded just after 9am on the section of the canal at the new Southbank flats.

It is believed the cyclist, in her 40s, lost her grip on a section of the towpath and plunged into the water.

Southbank resident Lynn McEwan told the Herald she heard someone shouting for help.

She said: “My window looks over the canal. I looked out but I couldn’t see anything. Then I heard a call for help again.

“I opened the window and I heard a man say ‘It’s ok, I have got you.’

“I spotted a woman in cycling clothes with a helmet and a man standing next to her. This guy had obviously saved her. Both of them were wet. He was dressed very smartly like he was maybe going to his work.

“She was very lucky someone was passing at the time.”

Police officers nearby rushed to the scene and an ambulance was called.

A police spokesman said this morning both the cyclist and her rescuer were checked over at the scene by paramedics and did not require hospital treatment.

He added: “This man really was a local hero.”

At the moment, the identity of the cyclist and the man who rescued her are not known.