Bravery awards for four river rescue police heroes

Four Strathclyde police officers are to receive top national bravery awards for a life-and-death battle in which they waded into a raging river in the darkness and heavy snow in search of survivors of a horrific school bus crash.

PC Mark Grant has been awarded a Royal Humane Society Testimonial on Parchment, and his colleagues - PCs Russell Davidson, Andrew King and James Sheen - have been awarded Certificates of Commendation, for their rescue efforts on 31 March last year in South Lanarkshire.

Yesterday they also won the personal praise of the society's secretary, Dick Wilkinson, who announced the awards.

"These four officers carried out a brave search in harrowing and dangerous conditions," he said.

"They did everything possible to save lives, particularly PC Grant, who climbed over seats searching the submerged bus. They all richly deserve their awards."

A single-decker bus carrying 30 children and five adults on a school trip crashed in the early hours of the morning, when the driver lost control on a bend during treacherous weather conditions on the A73 at Wiston, near Biggar.

Pupil Natasha Paton, 17, died when the bus collided with a bridge parapet and tumbled down an embankment and into the river where the front end became submerged.