A DUNDEE mother last night told of her gratitude after her eight-year-old daughter was rescued from a frozen pond.

Katie Marie Phillips fell through the frozen pond near Dalmahoy Drive in Downfield around tea-time on Tuesday.

Fifteen-year-old Jodie McCaig was accompanying the youngster and leapt in after her but was unable to drag her to safety.

Fortunately, local resident Christopher Harper was able to pull her out of the water.

Emergency services, alerted by other residents, were soon on the scene and able to take care of the eight-year-old.

Although Katie was very wet and cold, she was unhurt after her ordeal and, after being assessed by paramedics, she was taken home to her mother.

Katie’s mother, Lesley, said yesterday, “We really want to thank him for what he’s done and have bought a box of chocolates to give him.

“When Katie came home I just put her straight in a hot bath and gave her a hot drink because she was so cold.”

Katie, who is a pupil at Kingspark Primary School in Dundee, was able to shrug off the experience in time to go back to school yesterday.

“She went back to school and she and her two brothers are just carrying on as usual,” said Lesley.

The incident may have ended happily, but police yesterday repeated warnings about the dangers of venturing out on to frozen waterways.

Police Sergeant Dave Logie said, “Katie was fortunate to escape without injury.

“Luckily, the pond was near a residential area and it was fortunate that she was spotted. If she had fallen through the ice on a pond in an area with no houses nearby, it could have been a major issue.

“It is very dangerous to venture out on to frozen waterways. While the surface may appear safe, walking out on to the ice could prove dangerous.

“You don’t know how strong the ice is or how deep the water is underneath.”

Sergeant Logie said many of the region’s lochs and ponds are susceptible to freezing over at this time of year.

“Ice inevitably varies in thickness, so even a tentative foot out to test whether the ice can bear your body weight does not offer a true indication of how safe the surface is,” he said.

Sergeant Logie added that it was the water’s temperature, rather than its depth, that claimed most lives.

“Frozen lochs, ponds and reservoirs are a great temptation to children of all ages to play on, particularly when the conditions are sunny and clear as they have been this week,” he said.

“Nevertheless our advice is stay away the risks are too great. Keep off the ice.”