A HEROIC barman dived into bitterly cold Weymouth Harbour to rescue a drowning man.

Lee Stocker, 23, plunged into the water and held on to the 62-year-old unconscious man until the pair were hauled out by the crew of a passing boat.

Mr Stocker, a barman at The George on Custom House Quay, said: "I had just finished work when someone ran into the pub shouting that a man had fallen in the water.

"I dashed to the harbourside where I saw him in the water. He was lying face down in the water and I thought he was dead, but there were some bubbles coming from his face.

"There was a crowd of people watching but nobody was doing anything, so I gave my phone to my mate, kicked off my shoes and dived in.

"When I hit the water the shock was unbelievable. It was so cold my body went numb straight away and I couldn't move. I was trying to pull him over but his clothes were dragging him down.

"He was really heavy and I was struggling. There were a couple of times when we both nearly went under. Someone threw me a life-ring and I managed to get one of his arms through."

Mr Stocker, of Dorchester Road, Weymouth, said: "I was holding him up and treading water for about 10 minutes - it was absolutely freezing. He started coughing up water but didn't seem to know what was going on."

A second man jumped into the water to help, as bystanders shouted to the crew of a passing boat Mr T to rescue the men.

Skipper Mark Giles, 46, from Bristol was returning from a fishing trip. He said: "I was quite worried about backing up the boat towards the men because I didn't want to hit them. You have to go slow and it's like reversing a car with no mirrors, on ice, while blindfolded.

"It was 10 degrees in that water and there was no way those guys could get out. The young lad was blue when he finally got out. I take my hat off to him, it was a brave thing to do."

The three crew helped to pull all three men from the water and take them to an ambulance. The 62-year-old man was taken to Dorchester County Hospital and the second rescuer walked away from the scene.

Eyewitness John Forgeard, 35, of Charlton Down, said: "I was so impressed, the guy from the pub didn't hesitate - he just dived straight in. I thought he looked like a man who knew what he was doing. He was a hero."