A BRAVE man has told how he dramatically rescued an elderly woman from drowning in the water off Greenock’s Esplanade.

Grant Stewart was sitting in his car on the waterfront when his girlfriend Kimberley McFarland spotted the pensioner heading down one of the ramps to the water.

The 26-year-old instantly realised something was badly wrong and rushed to help.

He told the Tele: “I was parked up when the elderly woman walked up to one of the ramps, hung her jacket over the railing and walked down towards the water. 

“Kim spotted this happening and questioned what the lady was doing so I said I’d go and check.

“I got out the car and walked to the rails but I couldn’t see her.

“I walked further up and could see her splashing on her back about 15 yards or so away from the ramp.”

Without a moment’s thought for his own safety, Grant immediately jumped into the freezing water.

He said: “I quickly took my jeans and jumper off and got in.

“Kim saw me so she got out of the car, came to the edge of the water and called 999 for an ambulance. I got to the lady and managed to get her in my arms. 

“There were a few bystanders by this point watching it all.”

As the drama was unfolding, Grant’s quick-thinking girlfriend flagged down a passing community warden van.

He added: “As I got to the point where the water was about waist height, the lady started struggling. 

“I held her in my arms until I got about a metre from the ramp when one of the community wardens leaned over, put one foot in the water and helped me out with the lady.

“We carried her up the ramp, sat her down on a bench and Kim tried to calm her down. 

“We put her jacket that was on the railings around her and then the community warden got a jacket from his van and put it over the top of that.”

The senior citizen was taken to Inverclyde Royal after the rescue drama.

Despite his obvious bravery, Grant is modest about his rescue act and says it was a natural instinct to want to help. 

He told the Tele: “I did what anybody would do and, of course, I was relieved that the lady was taken safely to the hospital.”