Van driver hailed a hero after mum and tots' dramatic river rescue

Desperate Louise Coatsworth, 32, passed her two sons, Oliver, two, and baby Daniel, one, out of the back of her Mercedes estate to the driver as the motor sank after the horrific crash.

She said: "He was a real hero.

"He told me what to do and urged us to stay calm in a terrifying situation. I don't know what we'd have done without him - it could have been far worse."

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The life and death drama happened on Tuesday.

Mrs Coatsworth, of St Ives, Cambs, were rescued from the freezing Sixteen Foot Drain near March.

Her Mercedes and the silver van both careered into the water after the collision on the B1098.

Louise was still shaking with shock and fear as she said moments after the accident: "I can't believe this has happened.

"We have just moved from Christchurch to St Ives to get away from the river. We always worried about what we would do if we ended up in the river."

The van driver, who has not been named, had managed to clamber out of the river when Louise screamed she had her two babies trapped inside her sinking car.

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Louise said: "I tried to open the window but it would not open because it was electric, so I opened the door and water started pouring in.

"The van driver had already swam to the bank and was going to get out.

"I shouted out of my car that I had two babies inside, so he jumped back in and pulled my car closer to the bank.

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"I climbed through to the back of the car, quickly unbuckled the children and opened the boot." She added: "I then passed Daniel out to him first while he was still holding the car near the bank. I then passed Oliver out.

"He deserves a medal for getting us out of there and saving my little ones. It doesn't bear thinking about if he hadn't been there for us."

Mrs Coatsworth said she was overtaking the van at about 2pm when they suddenly collided as they tried to cross Bedlam Bridge into March.

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A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman said: "We are just pleased they are all OK.

"The consequences could have been much worse if the mum had been driving a saloon instead of an estate."

Both Mrs Coatsworth and the van driver suffered shock.

The van driver also suffered hypothermia and was taken to hospital for treatment.