Three paddle boarders rushed to the rescue of a six-year-old boy who had fallen into the broad this weekend, after hearing screams.

David Blakely, Graham Ives and Stephen Beckham, were heading out onto Malthouse Broad at 11.30am on Saturday (September 24), when they heard screams coming from a boat anchored around 50 yards away from the moorings.

Upon hearing the screaming, the trio, who are part of the Norfolk SUP Racing Team, thought kids were playing in the centre cockpit.

But as the side of the boat came into view, Mr Blakely could see an "orange blob" in the water and someone reaching towards it.

Speeding over straight away, they saw a child in the water.

Mr Blakely, 63, said: "I just thought, someone needs help and I started sprinting over in panic mode."

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The adult onboard had hold of the boy's fingers but was unable to get him out of the water as it was around two feet down from the edge of the boat.

The paddle boarder, from Norwich, added: "I got right behind him and said hello, then once the guys had steadied my board, I hoiked him in and held him really tight.

"Luckily he had a lifejacket on, but he was screaming blue murder as he had fallen in.

"These things can happen so quickly, it was all over in about two minutes."

Once the child had been lifted back onto the boat, he gleefully gave Mr Blakely a high five, having been "very distressed" initially.

People sat outside the Granary, on Ranworth Staithe, said they could hear the screaming, and another witness said: "That family was extremely fortunate that the people who so quickly rushed to help were near enough to effect a rescue in time."