A DRUNKEN man was described as being only minutes from death after he became trapped in an icy river.
Police and lifeboat officers were called to the riverbank at Quayside House, near Port of Sunderland, Wearside, after reports of a body in the water at 3.15pm yesterday.
The man, in his mid-twenties, had climbed over the river wall and was clinging to the wooden jetty, half-submerged in the water.
Jim Smith, Sunderland assistant harbour master, said: "He was practically frozen solid by the time he came out."
A Marine Services pilot boat from Port of Sunderland brought him to safety and he was taken by ambulance to Sunderland General Hospital.
The man, who was seen drinking heavily near the area, is recovering in hospital
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