THE parents of a six-year-old  boy who fell into the icy waters  of the River Exe  have said  swimming lessons helped save  his life.

Toby Peyton-Jones shocked  his parents when he plunged  into the freezing water but  then stayed calm to survive his  chilly ordeal unscathed.

And his father, Exeter consultant surgeon Ben Peyton-Jones, 37, admitted he was  stunned when he rushed to the  side of the River Exe to rescue  his son only to hear him say  ‘get out the way, dad, you’re  blocking the ladder’.

Toby was out cycling with  his parents, GP Jane and Royal  Devon & Exeter Hospital consultant gynaecological surgeon Ben, and his sister, Isabella,  three, near the old maritime museum.

The family, who only moved  to Exeter’s Union Road from  Nottingham a few weeks ago,  were cycling along the route  they had tried on a holiday to  the city.

Mrs Peyton-Jones, 37, said  the incident highlighted to  other parents the importance  of children learning to swim at  an early age.

She said: “Toby was in front  with me pedalling about a metre behind and then Ben and  Isabella. Toby was being very  sensible but he braked and  suddenly his bike just slid  away underneath him.

“He lost his footing, stumbled and tripped on the step at  the edge of the walkway. Then  he just fell over the edge head  first. It was about an 8ft drop.

“He did a somersault and  landed in the water feet first  and there he was, in the water   in all his gear, cycling helmet,  Puffa jacket and jeans. The  thing was that he didn’t make a  sound, no yelling, screaming.

 “For me it all seemed to happen in slow motion.  It was horrible. My heart was in my  mouth for an instant and then I  just went into a mother’s automatic pilot and knew I had to  get it sorted.”

Rushing to the riverside, Mrs  Peyton-Jones found that Toby,  who goes to Stoke Hill Primary  School,  had already “got it sorted”. She said: “I looked over the  edge and there he was, just  treading water, not making a  sound. Then he was doggy paddling to a ladder that was attached to the riverbank wall.

“Ben had rushed to the side  and was climbing down the  ladder to grab him  but Toby  was quite calm.

“He was amazingly calm  about it. It was only  later that  he became upset.”

Mrs Peyton-Jones thinks that  Toby’s early experience with  the Water Babies swimming  group, which he was involved  with from two weeks of age, was  responsible for his ability to  cope with the emergency.

She said: “One of the first  things they teach is to get to the  surface and reach for the side.  He went to Water Babies until  he was two and a half and has  kept up swimming since and is  now with the Splash Swim  Club based at the St Luke’s  swimming pool. I am very  proud of his response.

“Perhaps it is not surprising  that a six-year-old can swim,  but to remain so calm about it.  There was not a squeak of fear  nor a yell. It could have been so  much worse. Like most parents  we just focused on getting the  child out.”

Anna Falconer, for Exeter  Water Babies, said: “Babies  and young children are very  receptive  and learn a lot. They  are instinctive, with a gag reflex that stops them swallowing  water and kicking out — as any  mother-to-be will testify.

“It is all very natural and  quite sensible to teach them  when they are so young.”

The group starts a new cycle  of classes in January. Classes  are run by Stephanie Girard at  Ellen Tinkham School and the  Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf  Education. She also runs classes at Whimple, Axminster and  Chudleigh. To find out more  about Water Babies classes,  call 01392 278377 or visit  www.waterbabies.co.uk.

Zara Trickett, who runs the  Splash Swim School in  Exeter,   said of Toby’s escape: “This is  wonderful news  and just what  we train them for.”

The school, which has classes at St Luke’s and at Friends  Provident in Clyst St Mary,  teaches babies, children and  adults. For more information,  call 01392 833075 or visit  www.splashswim.co.uk.