The mother of a two-year-old boy who fell in to a garden pond has praised the quick-thinking youngster who dragged him out.

Jack Titmas was playing with friends during a barbecue when he fell into the 2ft-deep pond.

His mum, Adele, was on the scene in seconds along with Christopher Ronalds , 11, to whom she has been nanny for nine years.

But Mrs Titmas, of Becker Road in Colchester, said she was frozen to the spot once she saw Jack face down in the water.

"I rushed to see once I heard one of the children say Jack was in the pond and I could see him face down.

"He still had his Bob the Builder hard hat on which he wears all the time because he loves the television programme.

"Then he turned himself over and was spluttering and crying and that was when Christopher rushed straight past me and pulled him out," she said.

She said Jack was in the pond, which everyone had believed was sealed off, for a short while but she was very proud of Christopher for his quick-thinking actions.

"Jack has always looked up to Christopher like a brother because he has known him since he was born," said Mrs Titmas.

"But now he is particularly keen to be around him."

Mrs Titmas said she would like to think she would have recovered enough to get Jack out herself but was grateful to Christopher for doing it so quickly.

"He said he just knew he had to get him out of the water so that is what he did," she said.

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