A STREET cleaner has been hailed a hero by council bosses after plunging into flood water to rescue a family from their stricken car.

Non-swimmer Richard Greensmith leapt from a 10ft-high wall to reach the Dagnan family’s car, which was stranded in St Andrew’s Road, Bishop Auckland, when torrential thunderstorms swept parts of the North-East on Monday afternoon.

Paul Dagnan was trying to get two of his three children out of the car when 43-year-old Mr Greensmith waded into the rapidly-rising torrent to carry them to safety.

The car had stalled in the deluge at the worst possible place, a sharp dip in the road near Bishop Auckland’s Territorial Army Centre, which quickly filled with a few feet of water.

Mr Dagnan said the outcome could have been different if Mr Greensmith had not appeared.

He had been driving Christopher, 14, Jonathan, 12, and five-year-old Elle home from school when Bishop Auckland was hit by the freak storm.

As he drove into what he thought was a puddle, the engine cut out and water poured into the car.

He managed to get Christopher out of the back window and he jumped to a grassy bank and called police.

Mr Dagnan said: “Jonathan and Elle climbed onto the boot and all the time the water was rising. I just thought ‘I’ve got to get the kids on to the bank’ then Richard turned up.

“I’d like to thank him because otherwise I don’t know what we’d have done. It could have been a whole lot different.”

Elle admitted she was scared. She said: “I was crying because of the thunder. I was worried and hoping someone would get me off the car. I am happy now, but I was scared at the time.”

Christopher said: I was a bit worried when the car started floating and dipping.”

Mr Greensmith, who is from Howden-le-Wear and has a 12-year-old son, said: “Anybody would have done the same. Within five minutes of the rescue, I looked back and the car had disappeared under the flood water.

“I didn’t think about it until I got back into my van, but I can’t swim – but it wouldn’t have stopped me.

Durham County Council Streetscene manager Jimmy Bennett described Mr Greensmith as a true hero and said he was proud of what he had done.