A mother-of-two who owes her life to firemen who cut her free from the tangled wreckage of her car has voiced her backing for their strike.

Elizabeth Boudreaux, 32, is still in a wheelchair and has had 41 operations since the August night three years ago when joyriders slammed into the back of her Rover just outside Swansea.

Her car careered over the A4067 dual carriageway at Morriston in the city and collided with a BMW car.

It then smashed into a wall, leaving her legs trapped under the mangled bonnet, and damaging her knee cap and liver.

Ms Boudreaux was rushed to nearby Morriston Hospital

"It took about five minutes for them to get there and then 45 minutes to cut me out," she said. They saved my life."

Ms Boudreaux from Dunvant, Swansea, says she doubts whether military personnel - who are manning Green Goddesses during the current strike - would have been able to do the same job.

"I really don't know how soldiers would cope. It's a dangerous job, especially cutting cars like that.

"They could have injured themselves. So I just think, whatever they want, the firemen should get it."

Her memories are of the firemen's speed and of the way they reassured her.

"There was a lot of noise from the tools and they were working very, very fast - and I remember their yellow macs."

Once freed from the car, Ms Boudreaux, who has two girls aged one and five, was taken by the paramedics to nearby Morriston Hospital.

She says she regrets that the fire crews have felt the need to go on strike, but if that is what it takes, she does back them.

The fire crew arrived within five minutes

"I support the firemen in their strike. It's a difficult one, because at the end of the day, people's lives are at risk.

"But if that's what they need to do - well good luck to them! At the end of the day, we need them."

After the accident, Ms Boudreaux met the three firefighters who saved her and presented them with an engraved trophy of a firefighter and a dog.

She said it was her way of saying thank you.