A RESCUE mission which saw a dad and his two children rescued from a ditch in freezing temperatures has resulted in their hero getting an award.

In late December last year, Robert Balfour was called to an AA member and his two young daughters after their car became stuck in a ditch after sliding from the road near a remote beauty spot in The Forest of Bowland.

The patrol’s local knowledge alerted him to the fact that this was to be no ordinary breakdown, due to the steep roads and freezing conditions.

But after saving the family Robert was forced to spend the night in his van after himself becoming stuck in the snow.

A spokesman for the AA said: "Using his experience, and grit from his van, Robert stopped periodically along the way to grit the frozen road to help make it safer for the member to exit the forest once removed from the ditch.

"Once he’d reached the members, he was alarmed to see that the member was wearing shorts, and his daughters their pyjamas, with the temperature having plunged to -4C.

"Robert quickly fitted his ‘snow sock’ devices to the members car, giving vital traction and enabling it to be moved back onto the road surface, he then guided the member partly down the lane until he felt confident enough to drive on."

When he walked back to his van, he found that the ice he’d melted with the grit, had re-frozen and rendered his own van stranded on the wrong side of a steep hill, and with his ‘snow socks’ still fitted to the members car.

Robert was attempting to free his AA van when he received another call from the AA member, saying that he’d once again left the road in another remote location.

He quickly took the member’s location from a WhatsApp message and immediately relayed the members whereabouts to Mountain Rescue, who quickly found the stranded trio, and took them to safety.

By now, it was 4am, and as he had plenty of fuel, food, and drink with him, Robert took the decision to sleep in his van for the night. At sunrise, he was able to move his van to back to safety as the temperature had increased and the ice had thawed.

Edmund King, AA president said: “AA patrols pride themselves on fixing our members first, then the car. Robert’s selfless actions on that December night almost certainly saved the lives of the car’s occupants.

Mr. King added: “This incident highlighted the importance of being prepared for severe weather conditions. If you need to drive in winter conditions, keeping warm clothes, food and a fully charged phone is vital and can make all the difference.”

Robert was awarded a citation at the AA's annual ceremony at the end of November.

A Citation is awarded to members of AA staff who, while on duty, carry out acts above and beyond the normal service requirements, demanding a high level of personal initiative or demonstrating outstanding courtesy and care.

These actions sometimes involve individuals performing courageous acts by placing themselves in harm’s way for the sake of others, and other times they are awarded in recognition of an act of immense kindness or selflessness.