FUND-RAISING efforts could have turned to tragedy when Hatherleigh Walruses went into the swollen River Lew on New Year's Day.

Walrus Glen Hall lost hold of a rope stretched across the river and it was only the quick action of a colleague that prevented him from being swept away.

Mr Hall, who was dressed as Mrs Pike from Dad's Army, was saved by Ian Strawbridge, dressed as a German, who pushed the rope back into his hand.

Mr Hall, who had been unwell that morning suffering in his own words from 'New Year blues', admitted he believed he was lost after losing his grip.

He said: 'I thought, "Hello Bideford".'

He and Mr Strawbridge were among the first Walruses to enter the water and made their way by rope across the river to the opposite side near the bridge buttress where the water was flowing particularly fast.

Some time elapsed before all the Walruses were in the river and the official timekeeping began recording the five minutes in the water, dictated by the Walruses' fundraising rules.

During that five minutes, the level of the river rose another six inches — a drain that was above the water level at the start of the five minutes was covered by the end of the time.

A total of 19 Walruses, including four women, made the plunge in aid of funds for the proposed new community centre.

After the five minutes was up, Mr Hall and Mr Strawbridge decided not to make the return trip back across the river but clambered out on the opposite bank.

Despite his near-miss experience, Mr Hall played down the incident and his first comment to the Times after coming out of the water was to complain about blisters to his feet by wearing high heels.

The river was running very fast, he said, and only then admitted that he had lost his grip on the rope.

'I would not go in in such conditions again,' he said.

In the morning, Mr Hall, a deep-sea diver, went to the river in his wetsuit to check conditions and remove debris.

At that time the water was just knee-high. A torrential downpour at lunchtime raised the river but even at 2pm, organisers considered the river level was adequate for the event to take place.

Chief Walrus Malcolm Winser, who has taken part in the event every year bar the first which took place 12 years ago, said later that the increase in the water level had taken them by surprise.

'If the river is like this again, we will not do it. We have a back-up, the flood-relief channel, and we would use that.'

Sandra Collier, who has been taken part in the event every year, said: 'It was very dangerous. There were too many people on the rope.'

Mrs Collier, who was playing 'Godfrey', continued: 'It was a bit scary. If I had seen it like this in the morning, I would not have done it.'

As far as the large crowd lining the bridge was concerned, it all looked light-hearted revelry.

A visiting 'dignitary' in the form of Nicola Bater, daughter of West Devon Mayor Dennis Bater, inspected the Home Guard before a dastardly German force captured the dignitary and Captain Broad alias Lt Col Michael Whiteley.

The Home Guard duly came to the rescue and triumphed in best Dad's Army tradition.

All plunged into the water to amplified music including 'There'll Always Be An England.'

Nicola, 21, making her first dip as a Walrus said she found the water quite warm.

'It was not too bad. I'll be doing it again next year,' she said.