TWO hero lifeguards who saved the life of a woman who was swept into the sea by mountainous waves are to receive top national bravery and life-saving honours.

Tim Banbury and Tristan Brookes threw themselves into treacherous seas during Storm Ellen last August to save the life of a 67-year-old woman.

The horror incident - reported in the Bridport News last year - happened as ten-foot high waves battered Freshwater Beach at Burton Bradstock.

The woman was walking along the beach when a giant wave knocked her off her feet and dragged her out to sea.

Emergency services were called and swimming pool lifeguards, Tim and Tristan, from the nearby Freshwater Beach Holiday Park, heard the commotion and ran to the scene.

Tim jumped straight into the sea with a float and managed to swim out through heavy waves to the struggling woman who by this time was some 80 metres offshore. She took hold of the float and Tim began trying to haul her back to the beach.

However, because of the horrendous conditions she kept dropping the float and he had to swim back to her each time.

When he finally reached the beach he was hit by a ten-foot high wave and knocked over. The woman lost her grip on the float and was dragged back out to sea.

However, Tristan was on the beach and ready for action with a rope tied round him and while people on the beach held the end of the rope he waded in, saw that the woman was around ten metres from him and ran through the surf and grabbed her. The people on the beach then hauled the pair of them back to safety. The woman was taken to hospital and survived the ordeal and Tim also had to be treated for water inhalation.

Now the two heroes have been awarded Royal Humane Society honours. Tim is to receive a Testimonial on Vellum which has been approved and will be signed by Princess Alexandra, the Society’s President. Tristan has been awarded a Testimonial on Parchment.

Speaking to the News after the incident last August, Tim said: “She must have been 80 metres out and they were big waves. She fell off (the float) three times, so I had to keep taking it back to her.”

Tristan said: “They were some of the biggest waves I had ever seen - they were about eight to 10 foot."

He added: “By the time Tim got there it was exactly the right time because she said she was giving up. She couldn’t fight it anymore.”

The woman was staying at the park and was on the beach with her friend, who also got swept out but was brought back to shore by a passer-by. The other woman managed to stay above water by floating on her back.

Mike Smyth, general manager at Freshwater Beach Holiday Park, said: “I am extremely proud of both these guys and the rest of the staff that were there because we had some other lifeguards on the beach, maintenance crew and everybody just reacted. Never having trained for a situation like that, the way everybody reacted so quickly but so calmly was very impressive.

“I am incredibly proud of everyone who took part, it was a remarkable outcome and she is an extremely lucky lady to still be alive.”

Adding his personal praise for what they did Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society said: “The pair of them were magnificent. With no thought for the danger they were in they both fought horrendous seas to rescue the woman who without doubt would have drowned but for their rapid action.

“Thankfully they were not far from the scene, heard what was going on and were able to act extremely quickly. They are both true heroes and richly deserve the awards they are to receive.”