Police have praised the actions of a Christchurch taxi driver who narrowly avoided plunging his van, loaded with passengers, into the Avon River yesterday.

The 60-year-old driver was heading west in Kilmore Street about 9.15am on his way to Christchurch International Airport with a captain and crew from Singapore Airlines when he veered off the road during an attack of chest pains.

As he turned on to Park Terrace, the van mounted the footpath and ran down the riverbank, coming to a halt about 1m from the water's edge.

Sergeant Les McKay said the driver had done well to avoid driving the vehicle into the river.

"Thankfully, it's not too deep, but at the end of the day… you can drown in any depth," he said.

No passengers were injured. 

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