POLICE officers who rescued a young boy from a 50ft gorge have described their pride at being recognised for the heroic effort.

In May of this year, police received a call to say that a young boy had run off towards the Ochil Hills and, after a search, was eventually found trapped in fast-flowing water above Alva.

Luckily for the youngster and his family, constables Scott Campbell and Robert Gittins were on the scene and sparked a daring rescue mission.

PC Campbell said: "When we got the call, we all just dropped everything and headed out.

"When we arrived, we just thought: 'How are we going to get down there?'

"It's a steep drop with cliff faces all around. And I'm really not good with heights, either.

"But then we heard the wee laddie screaming and we just knew we had to get to him. We immediately jumped the fence and scrambled our way down."

PC Campbell assessed that by climbing upwards around 100ft, he would have better access to the terrain, and made his way into the gorge followed by PC Gittins.

They both then waded into the water, between 2-5ft deep with huge boulders and driftwood to avoid.

The former managed to reach the distressed boy who was described as "cold, wet and partially clothed".

PC Campbell immediately held on to the boy to warm him up and keep him from further danger before PC Gittins took over and handed the youngster one of his dry tops.

The two heroic officers then carried the child between them to a safe area where the fire service Ochil Mountain Rescue Team could assist them all to safety.

"We only had one thing to do: Get to him and get him back up," PC Campbell added.

"It was the best result, thankfully. I dread to think what might have happened if we hadn't been able to get to him."

Following the incident, both officers were recommended for a Police Scotland bravery award which they received at a ceremony on Thursday, November 8 at Tulliallan Police College from Chief Constable Iain Livingstone.

PC Gittens added: "The biggest thing for was the recognition for the work we done itself.

"The end result of getting the wee laddie out the water was great. Although it wasn't cold that day, the water was freezing.

"To get him out alongside the fire service, the search and rescue team and ambulance service was a clear example of cohesive teamwork."

PC Gittens stressed that the result was the most important aspect of the whole incident, adding that it doesn't always end that well.

He continued: "A lot of the time we do not get that result but we did this time, and we are proud of that.

"It was different from the norm so we are really proud to receive the award. It was a really nice week."