Jeff Marshall saved Bradley Smith, held by dad DarrenA FARMER saved the life of a drowning toddler at North Bradley on Saturday. Two-year-old Bradley Smith was unconscious and not breathing when he was pulled out of a pond at Bramble Farm.

Farm owner Jeff Marshall used the heart massage and mouth-to-mouth techniques he had learnt to save newborn calves and lambs to bring the youngster back to life.

Bradley's mother, Sam Smith, 23, said: "We can't thank him enough. Without him Bradley wouldn't be here. We have gone up there with cards and everything, but that's nothing compared to what he did."

Little Bradley went to the farm with his father, Darren, 34, brothers Tyler, six and Callum, four, and half brother and sister Luke, 15, and 10-year-old Keri.

Mr Marshall and Mr Smith were talking as the children played nearby when they heard screaming.

The pair rushed over and saw Bradley lying face down in the 5ft deep fishpond and Mr Smith dived in after him.

He said: "I thought he was dead. I just froze, I couldn't even tell you who I handed him to when I got him out."

The little boy was dark blue and showing no signs of life when his father pulled him out of the pond but Mr Marshall immediately started trying to revive him.

He said: "I have never done anything like that before except for orphaned lambs and calves but I'm so grateful I knew what to do.

"It must have been three or four minutes before he showed any signs of life and I was so relieved when he started to breathe. It could have been a disaster."

Mrs Smith was at the family's Westfield Road home with her eldest stepson, 16-year-old Daniel, when her husband telephoned and told her to get to the farm.

She said: "He didn't tell me what had happened, just to get down there. Because I didn't have my boys with me I knew one of them was hurt.

"When I saw the ambulance I just panicked. Everyone was crying and I saw my other two boys, but Bradley was in Jeff's arms."

Paramedics told Mrs Smith that without the nappy he was wearing Bradley could have sunk to the bottom of the pond and drowned before anyone knew something was wrong.

The youngster was airlifted to the Royal United Hospital in Bath, where he was kept overnight, and has been treated with steroids and antibiotics to combat any infections he might have picked up from the dirty water.

He seems to have suffered no ill effects from the accident but his parents are haunted by the tragedy that could so easily have happened.

Mrs Smith said: "I keep thinking 'what if' and I wake up and go into his room at night just to check he's still breathing. Darren doesn't want to let him out of his sight.

"I would say to parents if your children are going near water don't ever take your eyes off them. It only takes a couple of minutes."