A police helicopter has used the down draught from its rotors to blow two men drowning in a freezing river to safety.

The men, aged 19 and 22, had been in the River Tyne in Newcastle for about 20 minutes and were ''severely fatigued'' by the time the North East Air Support unit had been summoned at about 12.40 am today.

One man was clutching a lifebelt while another was being carried by a river current, police said. A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: ''The police helicopter attended, it hovered over the two men who were in the middle of the river and used the down-draught from the rotor blades to blow the men to safety at the river bank.

''Police officers on the riverbank then threw a line to the men and dragged them approximately 20 yards to safety while clutching the lines.''

By the time they were plucked from the river one man was almost unconscious while the other was ''severely fatigued'', and without the helicopter rescue neither would have stood much chance of survival, the spokeswoman said.

The men, both from the Newcastle area, who were not being named, were taken to the city's General Hospital suffering minor injuries and were later released.

Police said it was not clear how the pair came to be in the water, but said they had been crossing the river on the Swing Bridge which links Gateshead and Newcastle.

The use of down draught to blow the two men to safety was unusual and risky, an air support officer said today.

Sergeant Phil Lee, deputy manager of the North East Air Support Unit, praised his crew who carried out the 50ft hover above the Tyne, close to the quayside buildings and bridges of Gateshead and Newcastle.

The crew comprising civilian pilot Captain Jim Polwarth and police observers Pc Andy Bond and Pc Dave Nelthorpe were off duty and resting today after the late-night rescue.

Sergeant Lee said: ''It is unusual to use the down draught like this but unfortunately incidents around the river are fairly common.

''On this occasion, because of the urgency of the incident, the crew felt the people in the water were at very great risk."