DRUNKEN football fans diced with death in York’s River Ouse while celebrating England’s victory over Germany.

One fan was rescued after he passed out on a steep grassy riverside bank in Terry Avenue and was in danger of sliding into the treacherous waters.

Another man swam stark naked down the river before managing to climb out.

Rose Kenny said she was crossing Skeldergate Bridge at 8.30pm on Tuesday when she saw a fan lying immobile far down the bank.

She said she struggled initially to get to him, as the area was completely closed off by metal fencing installed by the Environment Agency as it builds new flood defences, which made her wonder how the man even got there.

“I went back to the bridge and saw that he had slipped further down and now his feet were right at the bottom of the bank, close to the edge of the river,” she said. “I debated calling 999 but I was worried about time, as I thought they might be busy because of the England game.

“I met a man who was pacing around and I realised he was also trying to find a way into that area of the river to save the man too. He had been shouting at him from his balcony, trying to wake him up.”

She said that luckily, the resident was was strong enough to lift the fence and she crawled underneath, scraping her knee and ripping her coat.

She said the man on the grass had passed out and at first she couldn’t wake him. The resident, Ricky Bray, and another woman then helped her.

They managed to wake the man up without startling him and got him to climb back up the bank and crawl under the fence to get out. “He had a cut face and blood on him but said he was OK. It looked like maybe he had taken a nap at the top of the bank, passed out and fallen to the bottom. He said he needed a sleep!

“It is worrying how many times I have heard about people falling into the river and drowning, and it’s a relief that this wasn’t the case this time.” She added that she had told the fan off.

Ricky said he thought at first that the man was dead, and had been worried he would roll into the river and drown.

Another resident, Gerd Handley, said she saw a different man swimming down the river at about 9.30pm, completely naked, before managing to get out near some moored boats, where police had arrived.

Chief Inspector Charlotte Bloxham, of North Yorkshire Police, urged fans not to "throw caution to the wind" after matches, adding: “All throughout the tournament and particularly on key match days, police officers will be patrolling and visible within our communities to ensure everyone is safe.”