Brave policemen who plucked a suicidal woman from the sea seconds before she would have been praised by senior officers.

Inspector Neil Ingham and Sgt Leo Suret waded into the sea off Scarborough's South Bay at 2.30am on Friday after calls to say a woman was in a distressed state. The pair are now in line for a top bravery award.

Inspector Paul Healey said: "They both showed outstanding courage in going into the icy cold sea in the pitch darkness."

Police received a 999 call from a woman worried about her upset friend and the two officers spotted something in the water.

The two officers waded almost 200ft out into the icy sea and used lifejackets and ropes to drag the woman back to the shore.

"At one point Sgt Suret was in the water up to his shoulders" said Inspector Healey.

Inspector Ingham said "I was in the sea up to my waist. It was very cold and when we got to the woman she was floating on her back and there were no signs of life".

He added "My guess is that within a very few seconds she would have been dead if we hadn't got to her".

Sgt Soret said conditions were difficult because of the darkness. "There was no moon and we were using a dragon light to search for the woman and bring her ashore".

Both officers praised PC Phil Cain who had co-ordinated the phone calls and master-minded the rescue bid.

Sgt Soret, who has been an officer for 20 years, said "It was great to see the woman starting to breathe."

There was further praise for the police rescuers from North Yorkshire's Deputy Chief Constable, Peter Walker.

"This was an outstanding example of police work. I am very proud of these two officers".

The woman, who has not been named, is in a comfortable condition in Scarborough General Hospital recovering from what a spokesman said was mild hypothermia.