A top award has been presented to a St Albans police officer for his bravery in climbing over railings to help a woman sitting on the ledge of a bridge.

Sergeant Andy Thackham, who is based in St Albans and lives in Markyate, received a Royal Humane Society Award for his actions at a bravery and long service awards evening at police headquarters in Hatfield.

Andy, 48, received the honour for going to the assistance of a woman who had been seen sitting on the ledge of a bridge over the A41 in Watford on March 8, 2013.

A member of the public, concerned about her welfare, had stopped to help because he feared she intended to harm herself. Andy and a colleague approached from one side and three other officers from the other.

They leaned over the railings preventing her from falling and Andy then climbed over the barrier. Holding on with one hand, he reached down and placed his free hand under her legs. His actions allowed all the officers to lift the woman safely over the railings on to the footpath.

At the same ceremony, a Chief Constable’s Award was presented to Det Con Victoria Major for her role as the officer in the case for the investigation into the murder of 34-year-old St Albans man Murray Thompson whose body has never been found.

Murray was last seen at a property in Watford in April, 2010, and his disappearance sparked a major inquiry which took over two years in a bid to discover what had happened to him.

In September 2012, following an eight week trial at St Albans Crown Court, two men were convicted in connection with the investigation which had revealed that cannabis was being grown on the premises from which Murray disappeared.