EMERGENCY workers have praised onlookers who rescued a teenager after he fell down a 30ft cliff.

Fifteen-year-old Daniel Saunders suffered serious head injuries after falling on to rocks beside the River Swale, in Richmond, North Yorkshire, on Sunday.

It is believed the teenager had been jumping into the river from the top of the cliffs when the accident happened.

Jeff Dean, 20, from Quarrington Hill, in County Durham, saw the accident unfold after visiting the beauty spot for a day out.

He jumped into the river and pulled the youth to safety with the help of friends on the bank.

"I was really scared, but I didn't think about it," he said.

"I jumped in and tried to keep his head out of the water.

"When we got him out he was moaning, so we knew he was alive."

Mr Dean said he thought the teenager slipped after planning to jump off and then changing his mind and trying to climb back down.

Firefighters and paramedics praised both Mr Dean and an off-duty nurse who treated the teenager before help could arrive.

Firefighter Kris Jackson helped Swaledale Mountain Rescue volunteers get the injured youth across the river on a dingy.

He said: "The man who pulled him to safety was extremely brave.

"The boy was seriously injured and it was a very honourable thing to do."

Paramedic Mick Whittaker also attended the accident with colleague Angela Kitching.

He said: "The nurse did a fantastic job.

"The boy was very lucky to be alive - I half expected to find a body when I got over to him."

Emergency services last night urged young people and adults not to jump from rocks into the river.

Firefighter Nick Meek said: "This is a beautiful place and we are not telling people not to come and enjoy themselves.

"But the water is not deep enough to jump into and there are rocks hidden beneath the surface - it is extremely dangerous."

The teenager was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital before being transferred to The James Cook Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

Doctors said he was in a comfortable condition last night.