A DAD who risked his life to save his family’s beloved dog has warned others not to follow his lead.

Malcolm Jarvis, 48, of Dairyhouse Lane, Bradfield, was caught on camera crawling across the River Stour, in Dedham, in his pants to rescue Jack Russell Bentley.

His actions have made him a hero to his daughters, but he was criticised by the fire service.

Malcolm was walking Bentley in Dedham with wife Rachel and daughters Rebecca and Hannah on Sunday, at about 10am, when the dog spotted some ducks and made a dash for the river.

Malcolm said: “It is a walk we have done several times and the dog usually won’t run off, but he saw the ducks and we could not stop him.

“I was horrified. He ran across the ice right into the middle when he went in at the worst position possible.

“I looked around for anything we could use to rescue the dog, but there was nothing there. I had to go and get him.

“I did not know how thick the ice was, but was pretty sure I would be going in.

“I wanted to be wearing as few clothes as possible so I could get back out.”

Malcolm accepts his actions were risky and could have cost him his life.

But he said he swims every day and often goes into the sea from a beach hut he owns in Frinton, so had some idea of how cold it would be.

He said: “There was no shock at all from the cold at the time because of the adrenaline, but when I came out I started to shiver.

“I had bruised ribs and lacerations to my knees and hands.

“You don’t realise how sharp ice is.

“When I dropped in I was able to scoop Bentley back on the ice and then had to break bits off to get back out myself.”

Looking back at the furore over his actions Mr Jarvis has mixed feelings. He said: “It was a big relief to my daughters to not lose a pet and he would certainly have died, but the danger is this gives out the wrong message.”

Malcolm said the incident has taught him dog owners should not let their pets off the lead near icy rivers.