Thirteen children and four adults who were left stranded when their minibus broke down on a motorway were rescued by a newly set up civilian patrol. The group from Bristol were travelling back from a judo competition in Goole, East Yorkshire, when the vehicle had engine trouble on the M1 in Notts.
Highways Agency officers spotted them and the children, aged 10 to 14, were given foil blankets to keep them warm.
The patrols were set up last month to help police react to traffic incidents.
The service was officially launched on 21 February by the Secretary of State for Transport, Alistair Darling.
Good resolution
The rescue was co-ordinated by the East Midlands Regional Control Centre (EMRCC), based at Nottingham Business Park, which monitored the situation using CCTV cameras.
Chris Martin, control room supervisor, said: "Without the assistance of the on-road patrols and control room operators it could have taken hours to recover the minibus, but instead it took just 90 minutes.
"This was a good resolution to what could have been a very dangerous situation as the children were stranded at the side of a busy roundabout."
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