AN HEROIC police officer who dived into the freezing waters of the River Irwell to save a man has reached the finals of the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons.

PC Mohammed Nadeem, whose actions earned him the nickname The Hoff, had only been in the job nine months when he answered a radio call over concerns for a man near Hardy’s Gate Bridge, off Dumers Lane, in February.

Arriving first on the scene, PC Nadeem saw the man lose his footing and fall into the river.

Without any thought for his own safety, he immediately scrambled nine feet down to the banking, and jumped into the flowing water.

Over the next 20 minutes PC Nadeem, who admitted he is “not a great swimmer”, battled to keep the man from drowning and hauled him against the current to the safety of the bank.

It was only when he was back on dry land that he realised how cold he was, telling the Bury Times at the time: “When I got out I was seriously cold, I couldn’t feel my legs much at one point.”

PC Nadeem was then taken to Fairfield General Hospital, where he was given treatment for hypothermia for around two hours.

Following the incident PC Nadeem picked up a national Police Bravery Award and was amazed when David “The Hoff” Hasselhoff appeared on screen to congratulate him.

He added: “When I rescued the man, I didn’t think of the risks. And when I received the bravery award, I couldn’t have asked for more. But it was not just for me it was for all police officers.”

He will now attend the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons finals at the Army and Navy Club, London, on October 6, in the 'Service To Their Country' category.

Also heading to the finals is Peter James-Robinson, from Radcliffe, who “died” twice in hospital 18 years ago, and was miraculously brought back to life.

Since then, Mr James-Robinson has led a busy life and raised over £100,000 for numerous charities.

In 2009 Mr James-Robinson met Princess Anne, and was later invited to Buckingham Palace to receive an MBE from the Queen for his services to charity. He is now in the running in the Brave Britons Against All Odds category.