THE mother of a young girl rescued from drowning by a North-East man has hailed him a hero.

Trevor Agnew, from Darlington, was on holiday with his family on the south coast when he swam into dangerous waters to pull the 11-year-old girl to safety.

The dramatic incident took place at Poole Harbour, in Dorset, earlier this week.

Mr Agnew, a 39-year-old father-of-four, had just crossed the harbour on the Sandbanks ferry when he noticed a young girl in the water, some way from the shore.

She seemed in distress and out of her depth, so he called to her to see if she was okay and heard her shout for help.

Mr Agnew then raced into the water to help her.

He said: “Looking back I would say it was probably the bravest thing I’ve done, but also the most stupid.

“The current was massive.

I was having to fight against it.

“It really, really was a struggle.”

Mr Agnew’s immediate concerns were that the fast-flowing currents would sweep them into the path of the ferry, or the open sea and the busy shipping lanes.

The bodyboard the girl had been using had already been swept away by the tide.

When he reached her, she was beginning to panic and he had to calm her down.

A ladder had been put down from the ferry for them both to use, but the girl, Selena Gardner, from Southampton, was too exhausted to climb up.

Instead, Mr Agnew used the ropes alongside the boat to haul them both to safety on the slipway of the ferry.

He said: “I didn’t really think about it. I’m a father and I just imagined if it had been one of mine out there.

“Although it was disappointing that there was a young girl who been swept 300 yards down a beach crying for help and people didn’t want to get involved.

“It says something about today’s society.”

Back on dry land, the youngster was reunited with her mother, Sue.

She said: “If he hadn’t jumped in I hate to think what would have happened.

“I gave him a big hug and a kiss – he’s definitely our hero.”