A Hornchurch man whose car was written off on the M25 has praised the kind-hearted strangers who stopped to help him and his fianc�e.

Mike Christiansen and Jessica Lane, of Grenfell Avenue, were travelling home from shopping at Lakeside on Saturday May 7 when their car was hit from behind by a lorry near the junction with the A127.

They were near road-works and travelling at around 50 miles an hour when the smash took place.

The car - a Renault Megane convertible which had the roof down - flipped over and landed the wrong-way up in a ditch next to a fence.

Mr Christiansen, 37, a teacher, said: “The car was written off completely. We both had cuts, scrapes and whiplash, but we were very lucky. We’re counting our blessings.”

But he contacted the Recorder wanting to thank passing motorists for coming to their aid before the emergency services arrived.

He said: “Four or five people all came over and managed to pull our car around. They lifted it up about a foot and I got out. Jess was still strapped in with her seatbelt on, upside down. I honestly don’t know how we managed to turn it over.

“If not for them we would have been stuck down there, there was no gap for me to get out.”

He added: “It was just really nice of them. I can’t thank them enough. One man was with his wife who was a nurse and she sat in the car with Jess to make sure she was okay.”

The couple were taken to Queen’s Hospital, Rom Valley Way, Romford, and released later that day. Miss Lane, 25, a teacher at Benhurst Primary School, was strapped to a backboard when the fire brigade removed her from the car.

The pair were unable to return to work the next week.

Mr Christiansen added: “The paramedics were fantastic and Queen’s were fantastic too.”