A Witham man has been awarded a Chief Constable's Commendation for heroically saving a sailor who fell into the water off Mersea Island.

Mark Ward, 41, was crabbing with his wife and two young sons on a cold February day last year when a dinghy flipped over and propelled a man doing boat repairs into the ice-cold estuary.

Mark and his family were on the jetty when they heard a shout of 'man overboard'. He quickly ditched his winter clothes and entered the ice-cold water to save the man who was slipping below the surface.

Mark heroically swam out and pulled the sailor back towards the jetty, battling the tide and the freezing conditions before other members of the public helped haul them to safety.

The sailor had lost consciousness and was immediately given first aid before police and paramedics arrived to take over.

The family were only in Mersea because inclement weather had led to the boys' football training being cancelled.

Looking back on the day, Mark, who works in banking in London, said he felt compelled to help when he heard shouting.

"I looked up and down the jetty and there was nobody else there because it was freezing. The man had a small boat motor in his hands, he went under and was being taken out to sea by the rip tide.

"My other half said, 'You've got to do something,' so I jumped in. I really underestimated how cold it was. My lungs froze and I was taking big breaths, but I managed to swim out to him.

"He was fully clothed – jeans, high vis jacket, boots and he was quite a big gentleman – so I remembered what they taught at school, got him on his back and then tried to get him back towards the jetty but it was so cold I started to run out of steam after a minute or two.

"I was looking across at my wife and she said she could tell I was struggling. I do a lot of swimming and keep myself fit but I really only had about another 30 seconds left in me.

"Luckily by then someone had got the rope and the lifebuoy and thrown it out. I grabbed it and they towed us back in and we manged to get back to the ladder and pulled him out.

"He'd gone under a lot, his eyes were rolling and he was blue. Any later and I would have been in a situation where I'd have had to let him go or we both go under, but luckily we got close enough to the ladder and we got him to safety.

"I just felt relief. I was absolutely frozen. One of the coastguards got me a coffee and wrapped me up. I'm just so pleased I was there. It was right place, right time, right person."

Mark and the man he saved subsequently met for a beer and Mark said they will be lifelong friends.

Mark and his family were invited to a ceremony at Essex Police headquarters where he was presented with a certificate by Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington in recognition of his brave and gallant actions.

Speaking after the event, the Chief Constable said:

"There's absolutely no question that the man who fell in the water wouldn't be with us today without Mark's intervention.

"When there was a cry for help and someone in grave danger, Mark didn't reach for his mobile phone or hope someone else would step up, he took responsibility, plunged into the ice-cold water and saved the man's life.

"This was truly heroic, and Mark fully deserves this recognition for his bravery. It was fantastic to welcome Mark, his wife and his two young sons to headquarters for the commendation ceremony, and they should all be incredibly proud of his actions."