Quick-thinking and selfless heroes have been praised for saving the lives of those who were swept into the sea.

Storm Ellen battered the Dorset coast last week, bringing strong winds, high waves and dangerous seas.

A 67-year-old woman was saved by pool lifeguards after she was swept off her feet at Freshwater.

Tristan Brookes and Tim Banbury, lifeguards at Freshwater Beach Holiday Park, rushed to the woman’s aid last Thursday after being alerted to the incident by a police car speeding through the park.

Tim, who is a trained beach lifeguard, ran straight into the sea with a float.

He said: “She must have been 80 metres out and they were big waves. She fell off three times, so I had to keep taking it back to her.”

He managed to get her to the shoreline, but he was knocked by a wave and those on the shore lost sight of the woman.

Tristan said: “The beaches shelve down, and Tim was on one side of the wave and she was on the other, he’s gone down, and she’s let go because she couldn’t hold it.

“We were ready to help him, so I wrapped my wrist up in rope and had a couple of guys hold onto the other end of it.

“All of a sudden she was five or 10 meters in front of me and I ran, grabbed her and the guys at the end of the rope dragged me out.

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

“I don’t think she was breathing when she came out the water. She was fully unconscious, she felt lifeless, but started making noises when the paramedics took her.”

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.

Tristan added: “She came to say thank you and said that 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.”

It was Tim’s first major rescue and none of the other lifeguards are trained in sea rescues.

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.”

On the same day and less than two miles along the coast, a frantic rescue operation was launched to save a little boy who had been swept out to sea.