KAYAKERS rescued a beloved pet dog after it fell down an 80ft sheer drop into a river near Brobury.

Karen Digwood, 41, was walking along the Wye Valley Walk at Brobury Scar with her mum, Jenny, and daughters, 12-year-old Morgan and 10-year-old Erin, when they realised four-year-old chocolate Labrador, Ruby, was missing.

They discovered the pet had fallen down a cliff drop of around 80ft, into the River Wye below.

Now, the family is calling for warning signs to be installed along the walk to alert other walkers about the dangers of the sharp drop.

Mrs Digwood said: "We came across some other walkers and one of them offered to go down as far down the bank he could to see if he could see her.

"After some time it became clear that Ruby had gone to the point of no return and was in the river and there was an 80ft sheer drop between the bank and the river."

Mrs Digwood called the non emergency number, 101, and the operator advised them to ring 999 and ask for the fire and rescue service.

As Mrs Digwood was about to make the call, kayakers managed to get Ruby into their boat, taking her downstream while the family drove to Monnington to reach them.

"Ruby has been very subdued, quiet and sore since. Obviously we are extremely grateful to the walkers and kayakers for saving our dog as it could have ended so differently," said Mrs Digwood.

"What we would really like are some warning signs on this walk so it doesn't happen again – as apparently this has happened before.

"We have walked there before and always knew the river was in the distance but didn't realise that if our dog was to go towards the river that there was a sheer cliff and she would not be able to get back out."

In a statement, Herefordshire Council said Balfour Beatty Living Places had not received any previous reports regarding the Wye Valley Walk.

"However, we understand that the Wye Valley AONB group mention in their official guide that there are steep cliffs on this walk," the statement said.

"Balfour Beatty has flagged this new report with our locality steward who will inspect and check for safety on the route."