Washington boy, 5, praised for helping mum trapped in river

Kimberley Allison with five-year-old Logan, who raised the alarm to help his mum when she became trapped

A five-year-old boy has been hailed a hero for helping save his mum from drowning when she fell into a river.

Kimberley Allison and son Logan were walking in Fatfield, Washington, when she slipped down an embankment and got trapped in mud amid rising water.

The youngster shouted to her to call 999 but her phone was damaged so he sought help from a passer-by.

"I thought I had 10 minutes - I am so proud of him," said the mum of three from Washington.

On Wednesday afternoon, the pair had stopped to skip stones across the water when Mrs Allison lost her footing on the embankment and fell into the River Wear.

She said she could see her son from the side of the river and was trying not to panic for Logan's sake.

"He stayed so calm and when I could hear the sirens it was a sigh of relief because I knew I'd be alright.

"I'm a bit shaken up and sore as I was trying to use all my strength to get myself out of the river but Logan is fine - I think he was just so excited to see the firefighters in real life."

'So scared'

Crews from nearby Washington Community Fire Station were alerted just before 17:10 BST and arrived within minutes, where Logan was able to direct them to his mum.

Mrs Allison thanked those who helped her and said rescuers managed to calm her down, pull her from the water and made sure she got safely home.

"I can't tell you how scared and how cold I was, feeling the river rising so rapidly but the response from the crew was absolutely phenomenal," she said.

"I had no intentions of going near the river but unfortunately losing my footing on the bank it was out of my control."

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service praised Logan's bravery.

"Logan was an incredibly brave boy for staying calm and finding someone he trusted to give us a call during such a scary incident," said station manager Martin Farrow.

"It can be quite frightening when you enter the water so suddenly like Kimberley did because even when the weather is nice, the water can be freezing and cause your body to go into shock."

Anyone who gets into difficulty is advised to use their arms and legs to stay afloat, which will help to control breathing, and then call for help or swim to safety.

Mrs Allison added she was "so proud" of her young son.

"I don't think it's an exaggeration to say his actions have saved my life as I was out of sight of anyone who would be walking by," the business owner said.

"He loves to wear his Spiderman costume, and loves all the hero films, but he has been able to write his own hero story now."