'Bab I'm going to go help': Hero driver rescues stranded health workers
On a day considered one of the worst for snow in years, one man decided to come to the rescue of nurses, doctors and the community.
Driving conditions over the weekend were treacherous due to the heavy snowfall, leaving many people stranded.
But care worker Tommy Nicholls felt he'd offer a helping hand, using his Land Rover 4x4 to power people over the icy roads.
Tommy, aged 36 and from Wednesbury, said: "I just wanted to help out the community. I knew I wasn't going to get stuck in my Land Rover."
He took nurses and injured people to hospital, doctors back to their homes after a long day and care-workers to residential homes.
He carried people free of charge, from 7am to 11pm on Sunday.
Tommy estimates he picked up more than 20 people and drove 268 miles, after filling £100 of diesel for the journeys.
Wednesbury North ward councillor Elaine Costigan said: "He is a star and he needs a medal."
Her son and his family was among the people Tommy helped, where he picked them up after their car broke down and took them home.
Messages of praise have flooded in for Tommy, with one his Facebook posts getting shared more than 980 times.
He cares for his wife who is ill, meaning he has had to leave his job as a community support worker.
The father-of-three said: "I was sitting at home, all we do on Sunday is stay in and our Sunday lunch.
"I have seen on Facebook people saying they were struggling to get to work, so I said to my wife 'bab I'm going to go and help them'."
He asked people to message him on Facebook who needed help, and he was inundated with messages.
Tommy took three nurses to Sandwell General Hospital, a woman who hurt her knee to A&E and three doctors back home who lived around the Birmingham area.
Tommy has a 2001 Land Rover Discovery which is fitted with custom tyres that can easily navigate the snowy roads unlike most cars with standard tyres.
