A POLICE officer has been hailed a hero, after saving the life of a one-year-old baby.

Ruth Travis was alone at her home in Reginald Terrace, Selby, on Saturday, preparing to take her son Harry - who had celebrated his first birthday the previous day - to the shops.

Ruth, who formerly worked at Acomb Cherry Tree Nursery in York and York Montessori Nursery, said: "I went to the back door to get his shoes and as I came back to the pushchair I noticed he'd gone blue, really limp and his eyes were rolling back into his head.

"It was awful, I honestly thought he was dying. I think that's the scary thing. All the first aid training I had went out of the window."

PC Tony Morton was driving a police van in Bawtry Road at the time, when he saw Ruth run out of her house, carrying Harry and "waving and shouting frantically".

He said: “She appeared to be holding what at first glance looked like a rag doll. I went over to help and when I saw baby Harry my heart sank."

PC Morton sat Ruth and Harry in the back of the van and made an urgent call for an ambulance on his radio, but Harry did not have a pulse.

He said: "I knew I could not wait for an ambulance.

“I quickly remembered the training we had been given and the ABC (airways, breathing, circulation) of first aid when dealing with such a situation."

PC Morton massaged Harry's chest and breathed into his mouth, and he began to respond. When paramedics arrived, they said without PC Morton's actions, Harry may not have survived.

He said: "After a few breaths his eyes started to move and he miraculously began breathing on his own. I was amazed at how quickly he came round and within a few minutes he was wearing my yellow woolly police hat and yellow police jacket as if nothing had happened."

Ruth said: "It felt like forever, I thought that was it. I was so relieved.

"I'm very grateful to Tony. I just feel lucky he was there at the right time, it was pure luck."

PC Morton, who completed the remainder of his shift that day, said: "Within minutes of him coming round it was just such a relief that he was still alive. In 11 years I have never experienced that. It just hits you and you just need to sit down for a while and think."

"I am only too glad that I was in the right place at the right time and was able to help baby Harry and Ruth.”

Doctors later said Harry had suffered a fit caused by a temperature, which may have been a complication from teething, and kept him in hospital overnight before releasing him on Sunday.

Chief Inspector Mark Khan, Safer Neighbourhood Commander for the Selby District said PC Morton’s actions were “a credit to North Yorkshire Police".