A MOTHER has praised the hero bus driver who saved her baby’s life.

Steve Plank leapt in to resuscitate the four-month-old boy when he suffered breathing difficulties on the Denton to Newhaven service.

The baby is now out of hospital and his mother said he owed his life to Mr Plank.

Describing a mother’s worst nightmare, she said: “I want to thank everyone who helped.

“My baby wasn’t responding, but he wasn’t choking. His lips hadn’t turned blue but he was unconscious. It was terrifying. I was trying everything to get him to wake up.

“I just want to thank everyone who helped.

“Everyone was trying to help. Everybody was absolutely brilliant.”

The mother, who asked not to be named, said words could not describe how grateful she is to Mr Plank.

She said: “The bus driver pulled over and called an ambulance straight away. The ambulance was there so quickly and all the paramedics and all the hospital staff at the A&E at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital deserve a big thank you as well.”

The baby boy, who was born two and a half months premature, was kept in hospital for 24 hours after being saved on the bus and is now back home.

His mother said she hoped the incident was a one-off but said doctors were still unsure of the exact cause of the breathing difficulties.

Brighton and Hove Buses driver Mr Plank told The Argus he was “no hero” after giving the baby chest thrusts under his ribs to restart his breathing.

The humble father of two said he used the first aid knowledge he picked up running a children’s football team to save the baby’s life. His colleagues said that despite his modesty, they all considered him a hero.