Sunderland officer rescues Florida mother and daughter on way to Ed Sheeran Stadium of Light concert

A mother and daughter who travelled 4,000 miles from the US to see Ed Sheeran in Sunderland have thanked a Northumbria police constable who helped save their trip.

Denise Buie and her daughter Alyssa Midence flew from their Florida home last week as part of a 10-day trip to celebrate the 22-year-old's graduation.

They had tickets to see the Ed Sheeran's show at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland last Friday (June 3) when their car broke down near the Spire Bridge.

With traffic queuing behind them, Northumbria Police officer Police Constable Andy Jackson helped move the vehicle off the road while they waited for a recovery vehicle.

Two hours later, PC Jackson was driving back along the A1231 and saw them still waiting in their car at the side of the road - with no sign of a recovery vehicle.

He pulled over and spoke to the pair who were close to missing the concert, with Ed Sheeran due on stage any moment.

PC Jackson contacted the recovery firm and told them the key for the car would be in the front office of Southwick police station to collect - before escorting the tearful women to the stadium himself.

Ms Buie, 52, said: "I just couldn't believe the kindness shown to us, I kept calling PC Jackson our 'superman'.

"He didn't have to stop and understandably would have had other things to do, so we were just blown away by his willingness to go above and beyond."

"We are truly grateful that he went the extra mile - and that he helped save Alyssa's graduation celebration," she added.

"It was a really distressing time, having travelled all that way on our first visit to England, so to be met with such generosity and compassion is something that we'll never forget."

Denise and Alyssa arrived back in their native Florida on Wednesday (June 8) – after spending the rest of their holiday exploring Edinburgh, Aberdeen and the Isle of Skye.

Motor Patrols officer Police Constable Jackson said: "I was just pleased to help.

"When I was driving back past them a couple of hours later I realised it was going to be tight in terms of them being able to get to the concert full stop."

"After seeing how upset they both were, and given they travelled halfway across the world for it, I was more than happy to quickly hatch a plan and make sure they got to see Ed, before continuing with my shift," he added.

"I'm pleased that they had a good time and hope they got home safe."