‘I thought my family was in danger’
19:24, 07 Aug 2025Updated 19:25, 07 Aug 2025
The moment before a cyclist was pushed into Ashton Canal by a dog walker(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
A dog walker who was accused of pushing a cyclist into a canal in Greater Manchester has spoken out.
Footage shot from the bike showed Klaudia Mitura, 34, braking in front of a couple on the Ashton Canal path as a man appears to shout to her to ‘slow down’. She can be heard protesting that they have a dog but the man retorts ‘yeah but you’re on a f**king bike’.
The man then calls her ‘a f***king idiot’ before the footage shows Klaudia falling into the water. Klaudia, who lives in Manchester, claims she was pushed and feared that she would ‘drown’ as her feet were strapped on the bike pedals making it hard to get out.
The story attracted thousands of comments and reactions on the Manchester Evening News website and Facebook page, with readers expressing strong opinions as to who they thought was in the wrong. Now, the dog walker wants to set the record straight.
The 35-year-old from Dukinfield, who asked not to be named, denies pushing Klaudia and claims she clipped him with her handle bar.
Speaking to the M.E.N., he said: “I was out with my girlfriend who’s 26 weeks pregnant. We were walking down the canal, as you do.
“A lady came down at a ridiculous speed. I thought she was going to hit my missus and my dog. I thought my family was in danger.
“She’s carried on to ride towards me. Then she’s clipped me with the handle bars and she’s gone into the canal. I didn’t push her.”
Klaudia, a mum-of-two who was on her usual cycle commute to work, said she thought she could have died as she cannot swim.
She said she stepped on a rock and remained in the canal for five minutes until a passer-by spotted her and helped her out.
The machine operator, who is from Poland, claims that the couple did look back to check if she was okay or if she was drowning.
However, the man she has accused of pushing her into the canal denies this and claims that she did not appear to want his help.
He said: “After it happened, I turned around. I said to her ‘are you okay?’ She told me to f**k off.
“She was stood up. She wasn’t stood on a rock. The canal was waist high.”
He added: “She was totally in the wrong. I’m just a normal working guy like anybody else but at the moment I’m just being slandered.”
Greater Manchester Police are investigating the incident.