A suspected thief was taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia after he jumped into an icy stream to escape police.

Officers were called to Toys R Us, in Botley Road, Oxford, after reports of two men shoplifting at the store, at 7.30pm last night.

But when they arrived, they were told that one of the men had jumped off a bridge into the Bulstake Stream, near Duke Street.

Fearing for his safety, a team of officers, including the police helicopter, searched the scene.

An hour later they found him clinging to a piece of wood underneath the bridge. He was suffering from severe exposure and hypothermia.

The man was taken under arrest to the John Radcliffe Hospital for treatment before being allowed home.

Police spokesman Duncan McGraw said: "The man was extremely cold when he was pulled from the water by officers."

He said officers would now be questioning him about the alleged shoplifting. Police are also working to trace the second man.

Story date: Wednesday 03 March

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