Family’s thanks after council rescues woman, 103

THE family of a 103-year-old woman paid tribute to their local council today for coming to the rescue through heavy snow and plunging temperatures.

Florence Jenkins, known as Millie, had to be evacuated from her village home, near Pontypool, South Wales, when it lost all electricity.

Staff at Torfaen County Council came to the rescue with the offer of a bed at a local care home.

But they still faced the problem of how to reach a frail Millie through thick snow and ice and transport her to her destination.

The answer came in the form of the council’s own forestry supervisor, Phil Grimes, 47, and his 4×4 transport.

He managed to reach Millie, who still lives independently in the village of Garndiffaith, at the wheel of his Land Rover.

He then took the relieved pensioner to the nursing home where she could escape the icy conditions.

The emergency began at 1pm yesterday when her family called social services warning that her electricity was off and she could not be reached.