Widow pays tribute to 'best friend'

19 November 2009 03:24am

The widow of a hero police constable swept away when a bridge collapsed in floods has paid a moving tribute to her husband.

Pc Bill Barker, 44, fell into the River Derwent when the bridge he was standing on in Workington collapsed.

His wife Hazel said: "How do you put into words how you feel about somebody you are so proud of? Bill was my best friend, my forever friend, and an amazing dad. Even when he was exhausted from work, he would always take time out for the kids.

"I have the comfort of knowing that Bill died doing the job he loved, and the fact that he was helping others is just typical Bill."

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Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "Police Constable Bill Barker died trying to save the lives of others.

"He was a very heroic, very brave man who will be sorely missed by everybody who was close to him.

"I think we owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude for the service he has shown."

Speaking in Nottingham, where the Cabinet was meeting on a regional away-day, Mr Brown went on: "This is what we mean by emergency services - they are called upon to act in the most difficult of circumstances and this is a day where we pay tribute to everything that is done by our emergency services."

Home Secretary Alan Johnson paid tribute to Pc Barker.

He said: "I was extremely saddened to hear of the death of Pc Barker. We owe a debt of gratitude to him for his courage and determination in seeking to help local people in these exceptionally difficult circumstances. Tragically, his bravery cost him his life. My thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and colleagues."

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