A five-year-old boy has been hailed as a hero for his efforts to help his mother when she fell in the River Wear.

Kimberley Allison and her son Logan, from Washington, Tyne and Wear, were walking along in the sunshine when they stopped to skim some stones.

After an overzealous throw Kimberley slipped and fell into the river.

She was quickly stuck in the mud with the water rising quickly around her.

Logan called out to his mum and told her to call 999 but her phone had been damaged by the water.

The courageous five-year-old decided to go and seek another adult's help.

He quickly caught the attention of a passer-by who called the Washington Community Fire Station.

Help arrived just minutes after and the mum-of-three was helped out of the water.

Kimberley, who lives in Washington, said: "Honestly I was looking at Logan on the side of the river and I was trying not to panic for Logan’s sake, but I thought I had about 10 minutes.

"He stayed so calm and when I could hear the sirens it was like a sigh of relief because I know I’d be alright soon.

"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 action.

"I am so proud of him. 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 Northern Echo: Kimberley Allison is prod of her son Logan for raising the alarmKimberley Allison is prod of her son Logan for raising the alarm (Image: TWFRS)

"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.

"I must also say a big thanks to the firefighters, I was amazed at how quickly they arrived and how quickly they acted.

"They kept me as calm as possible, got me out of the water and made sure I was okay and got home safely. They were amazing."

Martin Farrow, station manager in Washington, said: "Logan was an incredibly brave boy for staying calm and finding someone he trusted to give us a call during such a scary incident with his mam last night.

"It can be quiet 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 cold water shock.

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"I want to say thank you to our fire control and firefighters for getting to Kimberley so quickly in her time of need and getting her safely back to Logan."

  • If you do see anyone in difficulty in the water then don’t enter the water.

Instead call 999 and ask for the fire service if you are inland or the Coastguard if you are by the sea.