A BOY has been rewarded for the part he played in a rescue.

Lee Graham, 11, led a police search party through woods in heavy rain to help them find a seriously-ill woman.

Officers were about to give up the search for the day three hours after the woman rang 999 on her mobile phone saying she was in Sacriston Woods, County Durham, having overdosed on tablets.

Police contacted the family of the 36-year-old woman, who confirmed she had been drinking throughout the day.

A 12-strong search party, backed by sniffer dogs and the police helicopter, tried to find her.

As darkness set in, the team was about to stop when they were approached by Janette Graham, who said her son, Lee, of West Street, Grange Villa, had seen a woman answering the description of the missing woman in woods known locally as The Dene.

Amid increasingly poor conditions Lee, accompanied by his mother, led the officers a mile-and-a-half into The Dene, where the woman was found.

She was semi-conscious, suffering from hypothermia, and at the bottom of a ravine. Her mobile phone was smashed.

Lee and his mother were invited to Chester-le-Street police station at the weekend, where Sergeant Cliff Downs and PC Zoe Armistead thanked them.

They presented Lee with a box of chocolates and a gold McDonald's award, while Mrs Graham was given a bottle of wine.

Sgt Downs said: "If it wasn't for Lee's diligence and willingness to assist, I don't think the woman would have survived the night."

Mrs Graham said Lee found it quite an adventure.