Pensioner Roly Lomas has been hailed a hero after lifting a half-tonne car to free his trapped neighbour.

Mr Lomas - known to his friends as Pud - did not hesitate when a woman ran over to his house shouting for help after her husband's DIY car repairs backfired.

Claude Stansfield, 77, of Meadowcroft, Brayton, Selby, was lying helpless under his Proton after it dropped off the jack, trapping him by the leg.

Mr Lomas, a 66-year-old grandfather, ran across to his neighbour's driveway and lifted the car so Mr Stansfield could crawl free.

Selby firefighters and paramedics were on the scene within minutes, but their services were not required - thanks to Mr Lomas.

He said: "The jack had slipped and Claude's leg was trapped underneath. I just lifted the front end of the car. Anybody would have done the same - you just don't think twice when someone is in that predicament."

Although a modest Mr Lomas played down his heroics, his wife Beryl said his friends might now be calling him Superman instead of Pud.

She said: "I'm really proud of him - he's my hero."

Mr Lomas, whose son-in-law Barry Martland is a firefighter and daughter Dawn is coach at Selby Sharks swimming club, was a foreman at Selby's Ideal flour mill before retiring.

A grateful Mr Stansfield, who escaped with a minor leg injury, later presented Mr Lomas with a bottle of wine.

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