Handyman Dean Leonard, from Bradley Stoke, has been awarded Avon and Somerset Police’s Chief Constable’s Commendation for Bravery.

Dean rescued a trapped lorry driver in April who had collided with the central reservation on the M5 near Cribbs Causeway.

As the crash happened, Dean, a handyman from Almondsbury Police Station, avoided two falling lampposts in his police vehicle.

He then illuminated the police lights to stop other traffic crashing into the debris and pulled the lorry driver from his cab.

The rescue took place as diesel spilled out onto the road from the crashed lorry and sparks flew from the lampposts.

Superintendent Andy Pullan said: “Dean displayed commitment, tenacity and resilience beyond that normally expected in his role.

“He ensured that the scene was made as safe as possible with the limited time and equipment available to him and potentially saved the lives of others.”