Hero saves boy in pool drama
A holidaymaker from Cannock turned have-a-go hero to save a five-year-old boy who got into difficulty in a swimming pool in the Canary Islands.
Stewart Hogg, of Condor Close, Heath Hayes was staying with his wife Elizabeth at a hotel in Fueteventura when the drama happened on March 29.
The 51-year-old saw the boy struggling in the pool of the Elba Sara Hotel before going under.
Mr Hogg, who runs Meiji Judo Clubs in Burntwood and Cannock, dived in fully-clothed and resuscitated the French boy.
He said: "My wife was sunbathing when she said to me there was a little boy in the water in trouble. I looked into the pool but could see no-one, then all of a sudden he appeared from under the water panicking before going under again.
"I immediately dived in the little boy was lifeless at the bottom of the pool. I picked him up and swam with him to the edge of the pool lifted him out and had to resuscitate him as he had taken in a lot of water.
"The little boy came around and started to cough up the water. At this stage his dad appeared."
Mr Hogg is now complaining and demanding his money back or a new holiday from tour operator Direct Holidays, a subsidiary of Thomas Cook, claiming the hotel breached health and safety rules.
Nick Sandham, of Thomas Cook, said they are taking Mr Hogg's concerns seriously and are investigating.
