A traffic warden and a member of the public who rescued a swimmer in trouble in the sea off Southend are to be honoured by the Chief Constable of Essex, David Stevens.

Town warden Roy Knott and Grant Colville dived into the sea to save struggling swimmer Andreas Policarvou on last August.

The dramatic rescue happened after someone spotted Mr Policarvou in difficulty in deep water 60 yards offshore.

Mr Knott was on duty nearby when he was called to help. He and Mr Colville, of Shaftesbury Avenue, Southend, who had been walking nearby, raced to help and stayed with Mr Policarvou until a rescue boat arrived.

At a ceremony at police headquarters in Chelmsford tomorrow the pair will receive certificates of commendation from Mr Stevens. A police spokeswoman said: "Without their intervention, in what were quite treacherous waters, this incident could easily have ended in loss of life."

Mr Knott, 55, who has been a warden in Westcliff for 11 years, said he was embarrassed by the honour but honoured as well.

He said: "I think I was approached because I was in uniform. I am a trained lifesaver and I've had experience of sub aqua so I knew I could do it. But it wasn't something you think consciously about. When I saw the swimmer waving his arms and struggling I went to help."

The former HGV driver said: "There were thousands of people in the area and a woman came running up to say the man was in trouble, but no-one else did anything. I don't know why."

THREE lifeboatmen are in line for Southend's top bravery award after they rescued three people from drowning in stormy seas.

Southend lifeboat helmsman John Foster, 37, and crew members Michael Whistler, 38, and Ian Rees, 32, have been recommend by Southend Council to receive its Mitchell Cup bravery award for 1999.

A report to Southend Council's cabinet said the trio should be nominated for the award for "an outstanding act of personal bravery when saving three members of the public from drowning".

The three men were on duty at around 10am on October 24 last year when they were called to help the Lady Jane, an 18ft angling boat, moored 500 yards away from the seafront by the Halfway House pub.

Three men - two teenagers and a middle-aged man - were stranded on the boat in rough seas and they did not have life jackets. The craft was moored too tightly and was in danger of capsizing.

The RNLI crew decided to help the vessel using its Atlantic 21 rigid inflatable lifeboat, the Percy Garron II.

When they got to the craft Mr Foster managed to get the lifeboat alongside the Lady Jane.

Mr Rees managed to get on board and help them get off the stricken vessel and landed them on the beach near the Corporation Loading Pier along Southend seafront where they were treated for cold and sea sickness.

Two hours later the Lady Jane sank. The three heroes have already been nominated for bravery and thanks awards by the RNLI for their life saving rescue.

The RNLI's training divisional inspector David Shepherd praised the trio.

He said: "This service was conducted in some of the worst weather Southend has experienced in the last 15 years.

"Helmsman John Foster showed courage, great presence of mind, clarity of thought, skilful seamanship and good appreciation of the hazards confronting the lifeboat during the rescue of the three people from the Lady Jane."

Heroes - Ian Rees, John Foster and Michael Whistler on their craft

Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL

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