AN HEROIC workman came to the rescue after spotting an elderly woman’s car rolling down a hill into traffic on the A35 at Winterbourne Abbas.

Chris Aylott leapt into action to stop a potentially serious crash on the busy main road as he drove home to Lyme Regis.

Chris, who is a mains layer for Wessex Water’s construction firm WECs, spotted the car rolling backwards on the slip road heading towards Muckleford.

He could see smoke coming from the engine of the silver Vauxhall and pulled over to try and stop the vehicle from rolling onto the main road.

The driver, an elderly woman, was safely out of the car but helpless to stop it.

Mr Aylott said: “I was just concerned for the safety of the other vehicles on the road. If the car had rolled into the main road it could have been catastrophic.”

Mr Aylott parked his van at the bottom of the slip road and put his hazard lights on to warn other drivers.

He said: “I would rather it had hit my van than rolled into oncoming traffic.”

He added: “I didn’t think it was a particularly brave thing to do.

“I did what anyone else would have done in that situation.”

The woman, who had managed to get out of the vehicle and was standing on the side of the road, told Mr Aylott that her handbrake was not working.

Mr Aylott said: “There was clearly something wrong with the engine, but she was on her own and didn’t know what to do.”

He managed to hold the car still until he was helped by another driver to push the car up to the top of hill.

Mr Aylott added: “I was concerned for everyone’s safety.

“The A35 is a bit of an accident blackspot, but I am just glad the lady was alright and had managed to get out of her car.”

The woman was unhurt by ordeal but her car had to be recovered and taken to a garage to be repaired.

Wessex Water said that the police were not called and they didn’t have the woman’s details.

l Were you the motorist helped by Mr Aylott? Call the News on 01308 455902