A DOG owner who amazed onlookers as he waded into a frozen lake to save his trapped pet has said he would do the same again.

Langley bricklayer Marc Greenhalgh, 25, plunged into icy waters at Alkrington Woods, to rescue his two-year-old cocker spaniel Jarvis.

He said: "I didn't think twice about it. Jarvis was in trouble and he needed my help."

Marc had gone walking in the woods with wife Trisha, 24, brother Daniel, 23, and Daniel's girlfriend Olivia, 23, on New Year's Day.

He said: "We had just gone to clear our heads after a big night out on New Year’s Eve. As we got to the pond the stupid thing, who is a gun dog, saw the ducks and jumped straight in. I started shouting for him to come back but he was stuck. A woman started screaming ‘he’s going to drown’. I looked at my brother and said ‘I’m going to have to go in, aren’t I?’."

Marc took off some of his clothes and made his way across the lake.

"The ice began to give way and the water was up to my neck," he said. "It was absolutely freezing. I think a crowd of about 20 had gathered. They were more bothered about the dog than me! A couple of them said ‘well done’ and told me to get home and get warmed up."

Marc has had Jarvis for only three months. He said: "We picked him up from the dog’s home. He’s a nice dog who loves to be around people but he does get over-excited."

Marc said he had no hesitation in taking the plunge, but his heroics did not go down well with his mum. He said: "She was less than impressed when she found out and said ‘you don’t risk your life for a daft dog’."

"I’m not going to let him off his lead again and we're not going for a walk near any ponds."

Click on 'View gallery' to see Guardian reader Julie Brown's pictures of the rescue ...