A rescue team which worked around the clock when Oxfordshire was hit by floods last summer has undertaken some of its most extreme training yet.

Gary Foo and five other members of the ERT-SAR team (Emergency Response Team — Search and Rescue) are now among an elite group of people who have seen Niagara Falls in a way most tourists never will.

During a fortnight-long extreme training expedition to Canada, the team abseiled down Niagara Falls — a potentially fatal stunt which involved extreme skill and focus during the 180-ft drop.

Mr Foo, a married father-of-two, said: "It was amazing. We were told there are only about 30 to 50 people in the world to have ever been allowed to do this.

"It's pretty scary when you think about the tonnes of pressurised water rushing over the falls every second. We could see tourists in their boats watching us and people were stopping and staring wondering what on earth we were doing.

"It was an incredible honour to even be allowed to do it and we were proud to do it with our Union Jack flags strapped to us."

Others who took part in the daring feat were Mervyn Redfearn, Andy Ford, Will Selley, Michael Eddie and Anna Todd, all of whom are members of Henley-based ERT-SAR, formerly known as Oxfordshire Search and Rescue.

Mr Foo, 42, from Henley, said: " We all went up in a helicopter to carry out a reconnaissance mission before taking the plunge.

"We walked along the river before tying a rope to a police car and dropping off the edge alongside the falls, right next to the water. You could feel the spray as you descended. It was very exhilarating."

As team leader, he was the first to go over, saying: "Everyone was a little nervous, especially in light of the fact we knew only too well if you go into the water there's not much chance of survival.

"There was obviously an element of risk involved but it is a calculated risk and we are professional rescuers."

Mr Foo, a former paramedic and Canadian armed policeman, said the Niagara Falls adventure was the "icing on the cake" of the trip.

The team was there to gain new qualifications and enhance its knowledge of various search and rescue techniques.