Six teenagers out to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Maidstone instead found themselves carrying out a dramatic rescue of a drowning man from the River Medway.

Bruce Wilkinson, James Scott, Billy Wilks, Harley West, Dominic Baker and Daniel Excell were walking across Maidstone Bridge at around 10pm heading for the Wonderland nightclub at Lockmeadow, when they heard screams and cries for help coming from the river.

Mr Wilkinson, 18, of Hanover Road, Coxheath, said: “At first we thought it was somebody just mucking about but then we saw a man in the river He was flailing his arms around and calling out ‘I’m going now.’”

The quick-thinking friends, all aged 18 and 19, found a life-ring attached to a rope on the riverside and threw it to the drowning man - but they had to repeat their attempts several times.

Mr Wilkinson said: “He seemed to be oblivious of us at first, even though we were shouting and calling out to him to grab hold.”

Eventually the man, 19-year-old Michael Smith from Swanley, did grab the ring and the friends were able to haul him to the bank and then pull him out of the water.

Mr West said: "It was hard work getting him onto the bank. He was very heavy and it was slippery. We put him in the recovery position."

Mr Wilkinson said: “He was very cold. We had called the police and ambulance too. They arrived and paramedics looked after him.”

The man told the friends and the police he had thought he had seen somebody else in the water and had jumped in himself to investigate.

An immediate rescue operation was launched, with fire brigade staff called in to search the river bank, while the police launched a helicopter that hovered over the river playing a spotlight down on the water for around an hour.

Nothing was found.

Mr Wilkinson said the friends had continued with their New Years Eve celebrations afterwards, but it had been a subdued affair.

He said: “To be honest, we weren’t really in the mood after that.”

Mr Smith was kept in hospital overnight but was released this morning.

Only five hours before the rescue, divers had completed a third search of the river in an attempt to find Pat Lamb, who has been missing since December 13.

Stories you might have missed

Lorry driver in court after family killed in crash

Train fares set to rise from today

Kent's landmarks get stamp of approval

Woman dies after crash with parked car