Rescue workers rushed to help a man at risk of drowning - and then spent 20 minutes persuading him to get into their boat. Firefighters were called to the River Avon in Bedminster, Bristol, after a man in his 20s was spotted neck-deep in filthy water. But when they arrived he declined their help and refused to get into the rescue boat. He relented after 20 minutes and was taken to hospital, where his condition is unknown. Eye-witness Rod Rodwell, 51, was driving home from work at around 1am on Sunday when he saw a rescue boat in the water. The railway worker said: "He was been quite abusive telling them to go away, he was reluctant to be rescued and it was a difficult situation.