A HELPFUL woman took food for firefighters battling to save a dog - and ended up having to be rescued herself.

The fire crew was grateful when Elaine Spencer, 42, arrived with a box of sandwiches as they struggled for hours to rescue a terrier trapped down a hole on a river bank.

But as they tucked in, she slipped in the darkness and plunged 20ft down a steep section of the bank.

Luckily, Mrs Spencer's foot became tangled in foliage and she ended up swinging inches above the River Wear at Hylton Bank, South Hylton, Sunderland.

Briefly abandoning the terrier, the crew fought for 20 minutes to reach Mrs Spencer and pull her to safety.

Then they returned to their original task and eventually retrieved the Lakeland terrier, called Maggie, three hours later - more than nine hours after it got stuck.

Sixteen firefighters were involved in Monday evening's rescue operation and had to trek half-a-mile in darkness along a muddy riverside track to reach the spot where Mrs Spencer was trapped.

She said: "I thought I was going to die. It seemed like I was hanging there for hours. It was a nightmare. I'm really grateful to the firefighters - they did a great job."

Mrs Spencer, who is married with three children, was treated in hospital for ligament damage.