POLICE were called upon many times this week to deal with severe weather issues, but one officer in the Borders has been singled out for praise.

During torrential rain on Thursday night (3 December), PC Richard Toward rescued a man who was stranded on the A1.

The man’s car had broken down in a three-foot deep puddle and, after responding to his call, PC Toward closed the road and stayed with him until a pick-up truck arrived.

PC Toward then contacted a local farmer to pull the car out, took the man back to Eyemouth police station and gave him a cup of tea before organising a taxi to take him home. 

Grateful for how well the situation had been dealt with, the man wished for the officer to be recognised, calling PC Toward “extremely professional and helpful”. 

Inspector John Scott, of Kelso Police Station, said: “This is the type of service that is often unseen in our communities. The severe weather was a rare event but we dealt with it well, and the member of the public genuinely appreciated this.

“The email we received about Richard isn’t surprising, because Richard shows that level of professionalism on a daily basis.

“When a member of the public goes out of their way to praise us, it’s something we’re very proud to receive.

“Travelling in winter months can be dangerous. We have a winter road safety section on the Police Scotland website that offers advice to keep you safe and I would urge any driver to read it.”