A JOGGER who saved an 11-year-old girl from drowning has said she acted on pure instinct.

Ingrid Delgardo was on her way back from a morning run when she was approached by a woman asking for help to find a missing girl.

As she searched Grays Beach Riverside Park, she spotted the 11-year-old stuck behind the seawall.

Ingrid, 27, rushed out on to the mud to rescue the girl, who was struggling to get out of the thick mud.

Ingrid, of New Road, Grays, said her first thought was to get the girl to safety.

She said: “I saw her out on the mud and I didn’t give a second thought about whether I would get stuck – I just wanted to get her out.

“Half of my body was covered in the mud and it took a lot of energy to pull her out of the mud and bring her back to the seawall.”

Ingrid took off her jacket, laid across the boggy mud and sprawled over it to grab the young girl.

Ambulance crews from Thurrock, helped by an RNLI lifeboat crew from Gravesend, rushed to the scene, but the youngster had already been pulled to safety.

She was checked over by paramedics and taken to Basildon Hospital to be checked over.

Ingrid added: “As I brought her back, the woman who was looking for her said I was really brave to go out there.

“I knew I had to get her out as soon as possible.”

Ingrid is set to receive a commendation award for her bravery later this month.

Ambulance spokesman Gary Sanderson said: “This woman’s selfless and quick thinking has no doubt saved this young girl’s life.”