A woman who witnessed a man smash the window of a locked car to rescue a toddler on a boiling hot day wants to publicly praise his heroic actions.

Lucy Carruthers had stopped for petrol at the Esso Garage on Parkgate Road yesterday evening (Monday, May 14) when she noticed a young woman in a panic after accidentally locking her keys inside her car with her little girl inside.

"She had thrown her keys onto the passenger seat whilst fuelling and was in sheer panic as the car had automatically locked," Lucy recalled to The Chronicle. "But more importantly her one-year-old daughter was inside too. This was 20 degree heat and unfortunately the baby was not under cover in the shade.

"I tried to help and rang 101 and was told the best advice was to smash the window, otherwise there was an hour wait for the police to turn up. The young mum phoned the AA and was told the same. I rang my dad who was about to jump into his car to attend when a man called Mike suddenly came over who had heard the commotion."

Lucy added: "He used a car jack which he’d spotted in the garage to smash the window of the car and in the process sliced open his wrist and arm on the shattered glass.

"Luckily someone else then took over and got into the car to rescue the baby safely. I grabbed the first aid box from the garage attendant and we managed to stem the bleeding and bandage up his arm then off he went to hospital."

She managed to take a picture of the rescuer and contacted The Chronicle to pay a public tribute to the man she describes as a 'hero'.

"Reflecting on what happened, he had no fear for his own safety and if it hadn't been for him who knows what could have happened as the AA turned up 40 minutes later when it could have been too late," she said.

"He's a hero and I want to praise him publicly."