Logan, 5, a ‘little superhero’ after saving mam from river

Kimberley Allison of Washington was on a teatime treasure hunt through woodland on the Penshaw side of the river, when she lost her footing and found herself chest-deep in the water. Luckily she was with Logan, the youngest of her three children.

Kimberley, who runs Cheeky Chimps Childcare in Washington, mistakenly thought a clearing beside the river as safe to walk on. But an earlier high tide had made the surface deceptively slippery.

She went to pick up a stone and slipped into the Wear. Her head was above the water, but the tide was rising. Kimberley was in serious trouble because she couldn’t move her feet as the riverbed was “like quicksand”.

Logan was upset, but kept calm and managed to get help. He alerted a woman, who did not have a phone but managed to find someone who did. Emergency services arrived to rescue Kimberley, who has a few aches and pains but is otherwise okay.

Firefighters say Logan is “an incredibly brave boy”.

Kimberley, 39, said: “The first thing that occurred to me was that I’d have to go home covered in mud. I turned myself around, chucked my phone and keys onto the riverbank and then attempted to climb out of the water. It was impossible. The mud was more like quicksand.

“I was starting to really panic. But then I could hear sprinting along the footpath, so I shouted at Logan to see if it was the firefighters.

"He waved at them and said ‘My mammy’s down there. You need to go down and help her.’

“He’s always been taught that no matter who it is, or what kind of water, you never go in after someone who’s gone in. You get help.

“It was upsetting because I could see his heart and head wanting different things.

“Had Logan not been able to cope and had a meltdown it could have been a different story. He’s five years old and my little superhero.”

Logan told the Echo: “I felt sad when Mammy was in the river. I was scared because of the water. I ran really fast and shouted ‘Help!’”