a father and son have been praised after they pulled two men from a blazing car.

Wilf Braybrook, 76, of Foxearth, near Halstead, and his son, Graham, of Liston, Suffolk, dragged the men to safety after they spotted a car on fire.

The pair carried out the heroic rescue moments before the car turned into a fireball and was completely gutted.

James Ward, 20, of Colchester, and Simon O'Toole, 20, of Wivenhoe, had been travelling along the B1508 just outside the village of Bures at 11.45pm on Tuesday.

The Ford Orion they were travelling in left the road and hit a tree leaving the pair dazed as flames took hold of the engine.

The Braybrooks, who were travelling home after a motorcycle club meeting in Colchester, spotted the accident and without hesitation rushed over and dragged the couple clear.

They flagged and down a passer-by who called emergency services and as they approached the scene the heroic duo slipped away.

Wilf Braybrook's employer, Louise Wells, of The Street, Foxearth, said the pair deserved recognition for their courage.

She said: "Wilf said how he saw a car on a bank so they went to have a look. They saw two young boys who were concussed and dazed.

"The car door was jammed so they pulled them through the window which could not have been easy.

"Wilf is 76 years old so it must have been an effort. He said that literally five minutes later the car went up as the flames had hit the petrol tank."

Mr Ward is still recovering in Colchester General Hospital from his injuries but was said to be making good progress. Mr O'Toole was released after treatment.

Today both heroes were keeping a modest silence on the daring rescue.

Mrs Well said: "It was a quiet act of heroism. Wilf arrived at work the next day as if nothing had happened and just let it slip in conversation."

Firefighters from Colchester attended the scene and a spokesman said: "The car just burst into flames and if the men had still been in there they would not have survived."

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