A FATHER-OF-THREE who dived into a reservoir to save an elderly couple told yesterday of his fear that when he reached them they would be dead.

Michael Bake, 40, was fishing with his friend, James Garnett, when they heard a loud bang and realised a car had gone into a reservoir on the other side of the road.

Mr Bake, a painter and decorator from Darlington, said he dived into the water without thinking when he realised people were inside the car.

He said: "The car was fully submerged. I went in with a jack handle to try to break the window. I couldn't smash it so I came back out and got a hammer.

"I was frightened about what I would find. I didn't think anyone could have survived."

After diving under the water three times, Mr Bake managed to break a window and get both the man and the woman out of the car and to the water's edge. Both were conscious but too shocked to speak and were taken to hospital by paramedics.

Mr Bake said it was "sheer luck" that he and Mr Garnett were at the reservoir, at Peberley, near Sheffield, last April.

"We were meant to be somewhere near Blackpool but changed our minds because of the weather," he said.

Airport worker Mr Garnett said: "I was thrilled to see the old couple were safe and capable of a full recovery."

The men's bravery will be recognised by Derbyshire Police at a ceremony next month. A force spokesman said: "These two men were very brave - they jumped into the water without thought for their own safety."