Gateshead girl, 3, praised for saving drowning dad

Lucy Pearce was given a certificate in recognition of her actions for saving her father Craig from drowning

A three-year-old girl has been praised for raising the alarm to save her father from drowning when he passed out in a bath.

Craig Pearce, 36, slipped beneath the surface while in the bath with his daughter Lucy and 18-month-old son Euan at their Gateshead home.

Lucy's cries of "daddy daddy" called her mother Sarah who was able to pull Mr Pearce to safety and perform CPR.

The family have been reunited with the paramedics who came to his aid.

It is not clear what caused Mr Pearce to lose consciousnesses and stop breathing on 30 July, the North East Ambulance Service said.

Mrs Pearce said as she pulled her husband out of the bath, "quick-thinking" Lucy pulled the plug out.

The Pearce family were reunited with the paramedics and call handler who came to their aid

"I don't know how I did it," she said.

"I knew the kids were safe but the screams were horrific. He wasn't taking a gasp. I found the phone but I couldn't get it on speaker - my hands were shaking that much."

Ambulance service call handler Hannah Watson said it was an "emotional call" but Mrs Pearce saved her husband's life, adding: "No doubt she is one of the reasons he is still here today."

Lucy, who turned four three days after the incident, has been given a certificate by the North East Ambulance Service.

The Pearce family are now expecting their third child in the spring of 2021

On arrival at Gateshead Queen Elizabeth hospital, doctors prepared Mrs Pearce for the worst but the next day he started to improve and within two days he was awake and talking.

Mr Pearce said: "I don't remember anything about what happened but the more people I talk to in the medical profession, the more I realise how close I was to dying."