A TRIO of roadside heroes were reunited with the man they rescued from a burning car as they were recognised as the ‘Pride of Britain’.

Andrew Bilton, from Crossways, and husband and wife Brian Keane and Joanne Keane, from Dorchester, were honoured for the bravery they showed following a collision on the West Stafford bypass in June last year at the Pride of Britain Awards, which is being screened on ITV1 from 8pm tonight.

The trio, who have already been recognised by the Queen and the Royal Humane Society, were celebrated for the heroic efforts they showed in pulling Matt Payne and another man out of the wreckage of the collision moments before one of the vehicles exploded.

Flames had already taken hold of the one of the cars as the heroic trio began rescuing the two casualties but they carried on regardless, putting themselves at risk as they managed to free the pair.

Andrew, 43, said he was ‘honoured’ to be recognised at the prestigious ceremony.

He said: “It’s a real honour to be awarded it, especially as we were there with other people who have done wonderful things as well.

“It was a lovely evening for myself and my family.”

At the awards ceremony they were reunited with Matt, who was a surprise guest on the night.

Andrew said: “It was the first time I had seen him since the accident and it was really nice to meet him and talk to him.”

Brian, 47, said the awards ceremony, which featured a performance from The Script and was attended by around 1200 people, was a special night.

He said: “We’re just very proud and very humbled to be involved in that sort of thing.

“It was a fantastic experience.

“Each story was just amazing, you don’t really feel like you belong there – it’s a real honour.”

Brian also said seeing Matt again was another reminder of what their actions had achieved that day.

He said: “Every time I see a Facebook post from Matt or have any contact with him it’s just really nice knowing he’s still there because of my wife, Andy and myself.”