FIREFIGHTERS handing out safety leaflets at a popular beauty spot saved an eight-year-old girl from drowning.

The youngster, from Hartlepool, had got into difficulties ten metres from the bank at Cod Beck Reservoir, near Osmotherley, North Yorkshire, and was struggling to keep her head above the surface.

Firefighters Tim Tasane and Lisa Marchant tried to reach the girl with branches with the help of a passer-by, but when that failed, they put on safety lines and waded out to pull her to safety.

An ambulance was called and she was taken to the Friarage Hospital, in Northallerton, for a check-up.

Two people have drowned at Cod Beck Reservoir in the past year. Last August, Darren Dey, from Yarm, near Stockton, drowned after trying to swim from one bank to the other.

Then last month, 23-year-old Stephen Forrest, from Hemlington, near Middlesbrough, died while enjoying a day out with his family.

Firefighters have launched a campaign to educate visitors about the dangers of the water and were handing out safety leaflets when the girl, who has not been named, began to scream for help at about 2.45pm on Sunday.

Mr Tasane, of Northallerton fire station, said: "She was in very major difficulties. The potential was obviously there for another fatality.

"She had wandered from her parent, who was actually several hundred yards away at the other end of Sheepwash.

"She was shocked and was particularly cold.

"I would recommend that people only bathe in swimming pools or on beaches where there are lifeguards, and do not use unpatrolled, unsafe areas such as reservoirs and fast-flowing rivers.

"There are two messages we would like to give out.

"Firstly, responsible adults should accompany youngsters to the area, particularly where water is concerned.

"Secondly, while it might be a nice warm day, under the surface, water can be particularly cold, especially when it is coming off moorland.

"Cold water affects the body in such a way that, quite quickly, the body can suffer a loss of strength.