Aaron, 15, hailed as hero for saving lives of two children

Aaron Love was out cycling in Livingston when he saw the two youngsters struggling in the water.

The 15-year-old jumped in and managed to pull them both to safety.

The brother and sister – thought to be aged five and eight – had been playing on a stretch of water near Lizzie Bryce roundabout when they got into difficulty.

Aaron came across their older sister screaming on the bank as he made his way home for his dinner on Monday night.

He plunged into the muddy water and managed to get them to the side of the bank.

Now he is in line to win a bravery award after being nominated by officers from Lothian and Borders Police.

Aaron, who lives in Murieston in Livingston and goes to Tynecastle High School, said he had not given it a second thought before he dived in.

He said: "The route that I took when I went cycling takes you past this water. It's like an old quarry.

"When I had gone past the first time I saw the kids mucking about at the side of the water playing with an old bit of log using it as a raft.

"My parents had called to ask me to go back for my tea. On the way back I saw their older sister jumping up and down and screaming.

"She said to me 'Can you swim? My brother and sister are drowning'."

"Without even thinking I ran down to the bottom of the bank and dived into the water.

"As I got over to them I couldn't touch the bottom, it was so deep. It was a bit of a struggle.

"I grabbed the sister and started to swim back but I realised that there was another one.

"It wasn't until I felt something around my knees and waist that I knew he was there.

"I stuck my hand under and pulled him up – he had gone under.

"I kept him above my head whilst still holding his sister in my right arm.

"I waded across to the side. It was more of a struggle than a wade to be honest.

"I passed the brother up to the bank first because he had swallowed a lot of water and then passed his sister up."

After waiting for the ambulance to arrive, Aaron – who lost his new phone and his glasses in the rescue – headed home to explain to his parents why he was late for his tea.

His father, Nick Love, 40, said: "We were a tad angry with him because he was 25 minutes late for his dinner which was getting cold on the table.

"We are extremely proud of him and love him for what he has done."

Tom Rae, Head Teacher at Tynecastle High School said: "Aaron acted with tremendous bravery and put others first before himself.

"It's fantastic that he is being nominated for such a high award from the police and we are all very proud of him at the school."