A father spoke of his fear for his 15-year-old son who jumped into murky waters in an heroic attempt to save four disabled people trapped in the sinking narrowboat Drum Major.

Teenager David Grimm and his dad Stephen shrugged off the dangers as they jumped on to the stricken vessel in a lock at Gargrave to help the victims.

Child protection manager Mr Grimm, 43, said: "It was a very frightening experience especially when David insisted on helping."

He described the scene of panic as it emerged four people with learning disabilities and their four carers were in difficulties as their boat sank in Stegneck lock.

Mr Grimm, of Nottingham, who was holidaying with his wife Kay, young daughter Christine, David and the children's grandparents, said the incident seemed to start in slow motion and then speed up.

"People started running about in panic as it began to sink. Water was pouring over the back of the boat.

"At first it was as if nothing was wrong then it started to get serious and people started shouting to stop the water going out of the lock."

By that time the bow of Drum Major had snagged on the lock gate and the boat was tipping backwards with its stern entering the water. Sluice gates were opened to let water back into the lock to try and right the boat.

He added: "I suddenly found myself on their boat. I must have jumped across and my son wanted to go into the water. But I was very worried because it was right up to the top of the boat.

"David started to go in one end. I thought it was very dangerous. I didn't want him to go in without me so I followed.

"David went as far as he could, first through the kitchen area. He was pulling at things. He pulled at what he thought was a cushion but it was a person and I helped him get the body out.

"I went back in again and pulled at something and it was a girl and brought her out."

David added: "I wasn't frightened at first. I was just thinking about the people. Then I was a bit scared I might get dragged under."

He said carers from the other boat were also frantically trying to find the others and eventually found a third person.

The family have decided to continue with their holiday.

Experts try to reconstruct freak tragedy

Attempts have been made to reconstruct the situation which led to the tragic canal boat deaths.

Experts from the Health & Safety Executive and Craven District Council, with help from British Waterways, refloated the sunken narrow boat yesterday.

Paul Robinson, NHSE inspector, said: "We are trying to establish what may have happened and have recreated several possible causes consistent with the information we have received."

He said the investigation was due to be taken over today by an inspector from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, part of the Department of Transport.

John Sykes, of Craven District Council, the body which enforces health and safety rules on inland waterway craft, said it was a freak accident.

"We are not aware of other accidents of this nature. We will be gathering information over the next few days, some of which will involve forensic evidence relating to the damage to the boat."

The reconstruction involved experimenting on how the bow fender managed to become snagged in the lock gate. Experts believed the bow then became dislodged and plunged back into the water of the lock, allowing water to flow rapidly over the stern.

Grieving mum's tribute

A mother has paid a heartfelt tribute to the son whose death has left a "big hole" in her life.

Eric Jones, 43, perished along with his friends Peter Burgess, Beverley Wilson and John McGill from the Mill Lane Day Centre in Cumbria.

Today his grief-stricken mum Frances, from Barrow-in-Furness, talked about the "gentle, kind-hearted" man who was dearly loved by his family.

She said: "He meant such a lot to us. We loved him so much. There is going to be a big hole in the family without him.

"We included him in everything we did. Even though he couldn't speak and was deaf, he went everywhere with us.

"He had been going to the Mill Lane centre for 17 years and loved it. He had been on the boating trips before and really looked forward to them."

A neighbour of fellow victim Peter Burgess, who lived in Dalton-in-Furness, said: "Peter was a grand lad. I'd known him all his life."

And a friend of Beverley Wilson, 33, who had a learning disability, described her as a "lovely woman with plenty of character".

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