TWO men have been publicly thanked for saving the life of a woman in a wheelchair who plunged off a wall into the sea at Folkestone.

Ivy Forte, 95, toppled 25ft into the water when the brakes on her wheelchair failed.

But solicitor Alexandre Faysse, from Wye, near Ashford, and Lee Ashdown, 29, an off-duty firefighter from Herne Bay, both dived in to rescue her.

Mrs Forte, from Bethnal Green in London, is now recovering in Ashford's William Harvey Hospital and is said to be comfortable.

Her daughter Marie Higginson, 72, who is staying by her mother's bedside until she fully recovers, says she is still in shock following Sunday's ordeal.

She said she and her sister, Joan, had run to the edge of the wall to see their mother floating on the sea.

Mrs Higginson told the Kentish Express: "The two men jumped in straight away and brought her in and laid her on the rocks. They were so wonderful. I think if they hadn't jumped in, mum would have died because the water was so cold."

She explained: "My sister and I were looking at some unusual flowers growing out of the wall and the wheelchair turned. I thought my sister had turned it, but it must have been the wind. "My sister said, 'Where's mummy?' and we turned round and mummy wasn't there."

Mr Faysse, one of the heroes, who works for Kingsford solicitors in Ashford, said: "I suddenly saw the woman roll straight down the sea wall into the water where she became detached from her chair.

"We rushed into the sea and were able to grab hold of her. Between us, we managed to keep her head above water and dragged her to the beach."

Ian Leighton, the Folkestone Coastguard station officer, said: "Two major factors helped in the lack of serious injury to the lady. First, the tide was high which obviously cushioned the impact, and second the response of the rescuers. They deserve to be commended in every way."