A WOMAN was rescued from the River Wye near Mordiford in the early hours of New Year's Day.

Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) paramedics, a paramedic area support office, an ambulance crew and a BASICS doctor attended the river, near Luckshall Caravan Park, at around 3.30am.

Four fire crews and police were also called.

The woman was rescued and treated for the effects of hypothermia before being taken to Hereford County Hospital.

The start of 2014 was a very busy period for West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS), with crews receiving a 999 call every four minutes.

In total, there were 1,875 calls from 8pm on New Year's Eve to 5am on New Year's Day - with 39 of them occurring in Herefordshire.

The majority of the calls were alcohol-related and included assaults, overdoses, road traffic collisions and falls.

“It’s thanks to the meticulous planning, hard work and dedication of staff on New Year’s Eve that we’re able to continue to provide patients in the West Midlands with high level care when they need it the most," said WMAS chief executive Anthony Marsh.

“New Year’s Eve is traditionally the busiest night of the year for the ambulance service.

"I am immensely proud of the way the service has dealt with the surge in 999 calls."