The fast reactions of two A&P Group workers at Falmouth Docks avoided an oil spill which could have resulted in tonnes of the liquid spilling out into the dry dock.

Ross Pellow and David Bryant managed to plug and reseal an oil plug hole at the bottom of a ship that had been wrongly identified by the ship's staff. In doing do they prevented more than 12 tonnes of oil leaking into the dry dock.

The two men were rewarded for their quick thinking with £40 of shopping vouchers and a personal well done from the A&P management team.

Gerald Pitts, director at A&P Group in Falmouth said: “Thanks to the quick reactions of two of our workforce we prevented a spill in the dry dock which would have taken many man hours to contain and clean.”

Ross, who celebrates his 40th birthday this week, said: "Luckily only a few gallons came out before I managed to get the plug back in. Something similar happened many years ago, only they couldn't get the plug back in and something like 300 tons of oil came out and it took two weeks to clean up so I just thought get it back in quick.

"Of course all my mates are now calling me 'Red Adair Pellow' - that's all there is to say really, only doing my job."