HEROIC teenagers risked their own lives to save a young boy from drowning in turbulent sea.

A beach-full of people are said to have watched as a woman cried for help after a boy, six, and man in his 20s struggled in the sea at Hove Lagoon on Saturday.

But friends Erin Maltby and Fin Vos-Campion Clark, both 16, rushed into action, diving into the turbulent water to help the struggling pair.

Erin, from Hove, said: “I was on the beach with my friends and we were having a barbecue then we heard a frantic mum screaming out for someone to help her child.

“We were waiting on someone else to do something, but no one seemed to do anything.

“Fight or flight kicked in.

“We sprinted and dived in off the groin and went straight into the water.

“The guy was holding the six-year-old just above the water – you could see him taking in so much water.”

Fin grabbed the man while Erin helped the boy back onto the shore.

Erin said: “They were both obviously very panicked, we swam to the shore but kept going under.

“They were very stressed and were going limp – they had ingested seawater.

“Once we got back to shore, we sat them down to relax them and a lady came and phoned an ambulance.

“They were both sitting there coughing up water.”

The man is said to have vomited while the group waited for an ambulance to arrive.

The woman, who alerted the teenagers to the struggling pair, “did not have the words” to thank the heroes enough.

Erin, a confident swimmer, wanted to warn people about sea safety.

She said: “You need to be aware of your swimming capability and only swim on lifeguarded beaches.”

Proud father Craig Maltby, who is part of the RNLI, described his daughter and her friend as “flipping heroes”.

However, Mr Maltby has also has words of warning for those swimming in the sea.

He said: “It’s always important that you go with someone to the beach and know how to call for help – ring 999 and call the coastguard.

“The best thing you can do is be able to float, lie on your back, open your airways and breath.

“Swim on a lifeguarded beach, there’s loads of lifeguards in Brighton and, remember, the yellow flags are there for a reason.”

Do you know the people who were saved? Email jody.doherty-cove@theargus.co.uk