PCSO Andy Singfield at the scene of the rescue drama
BRAVE police community support officer Andy Singfield has been hailed a hero after he stopped a woman from throwing herself on to the M4 motorway on Monday night.
Mr Singfield was on duty in Wootton Bassett High Street just before 10pm when a member of the public told him someone was sitting on the railings at the motorway flyover near Hook.
The-33-year-old, who has been with the police for 16 months, immediately went to the scene and found a woman in her late twenties straddling the railings over lane one on the westbound carriageway.
As he approached the woman she had climbed over the railings and was leaning forward over the motorway in what he describes as a Titanic' position.
He said: "It was a very cold and snowy night though which made it extra dangerous up there.
"It's not unusual for people to be on the bridge because people walk back from town towards Hook over it.
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"When I got there she was just straddling the railings but by the time I got a bit closer she was leaning over with both arms behind her looking down on to the road.
"Because it was wet and cold there was a huge risk of her just slipping.
"I kept talking to her and moved nearer to her and she did begin to edge away towards the embankment.
"I then said I was cold and could I link her arm, which I did, and I had hold of her quite tightly.
"I thought if she went off the edge I could hold her or direct her towards the bank and away from the motorway.
"At the time I didn't actually think about the danger for me. If she had gone over she could have taken me with her if I wasn't ready."
Mr Singfield had to wait ten minutes with the woman before police officers arrived to help.
He added: "My main concern was to get her away from lane one because of the amount of heavy goods vehicles in it.
"It could have been devastating so that was my main worry at the time.
"In that sort of situation instinct takes over and it shows that PCSOs do have an important role, because we do get our fair share of criticism."
The woman, who is now being held at Swindon police station under the Mental Health Act, eventually climbed back over the railings to safety and was detained by police.
Inspector Mark Levitt said: "He managed to gain her confidence and edge her towards the embankment and it was a superb piece of work."
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