A coach at Otley Rugby Union Club saved lives when he grabbed the wheel of the team bus after the driver collapsed, the club secretary has said.

Mark Luffman has been hailed a hero for his quick actions which brought the bus to a halt after it careered across two lanes of motorway as the team travelled to Coventry for a game on Saturday.

The coach leapt out of his seat and dived for the wheel as the bus scraped along the central reservation of the M1 near Sheffield, said club secretary Mark Lawrence.

He said: “The bus careered and hit the central reservation, Luffers (Mr Luffman) jumped out of his seat and grabbed hold of the steering wheel, pulling every lever and knob he can think of and got the bus to stop.

“There were no other cars involved because when it careered across the motorway there was no-one there, it was so lucky. I’m amazed no-one was injured.

“He has saved us, we just thank our lucky stars.

“He didn’t make any song and dance about it, he just wanted us to beat Coventry. He’s been a hero this weekend, without a doubt.”

Describing how events unfolded, Mr Luffman, who does not usually travel on the team bus, said: “The driver just blacked out for a couple of seconds. The bus swerved to the outside lane and into the central reservation where it went along the barrier.

“I was sat in front near the driver. I heard him coughing, I looked across and he had slumped forwards in his seat.

“I managed to move him back in his seat and took the wheel. I’ve never driven a bus before, but there was a lever, the hand brake, so I pulled that.

“A lorry driver came across and stopped the traffic and then the driver had recovered enough to drive us on to the hard shoulder.”

He said he had been in contact with the coach company who told him they believed the driver was feeling better yesterday.

The team got to Coventry for a delayed start to the game, which they lost 18-10.