AN off-duty nurse who saved dozens of lives when she took to the wheel of a runaway bus on a motorway, has received a "Pride of Britain" honour.

Irene King leapt into action when the driver of a packed double-decker collapsed over the steering wheel as it was travelling on the M60 at Whitefield in April last year.

The mother-of-three saw the driver collapse and ran forwards, grabbing the wheel. The bus had slowed to about 30mph when Mrs King, unable to reach the brakes, steered the bus through heavy traffic into the nearside barrier until it came to a halt.

None of the 20 passengers was injured.

Now, the 49-year-old has been presented with an Outstanding Bravery award at the Daily Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards in London.

When she received her honour from chat-show host and comedian Paul O'Grady, Mrs King jokingly told him: "I actually broke a nail, but bearing in mind what could have happened, it wasn't too bad."

After bringing the bus to a halt, Mrs King comforted its driver Fred Emerson, until an ambulance arrived.

He was taken to Fairfield General Hospital for treatment to a stomach complaint and went on to make a full recovery.

Mrs King added: "On that day I did what anybody would have done to help someone in distress.

"Instinct took over. My first reaction was just to get there quickly, so I ran down the bus.

"The driver was half on the steering wheel, and we were veering towards the central barrier. I had to pick him up and hold him with my shoulder while I steered us away.

"I knew I was going to have to crash the bus into the hard shoulder barrier but I didn't want to hit it full on.

"I deliberately steered the bus side-on into the barrier and I hit a few cones first to slow us down."

In February, Mrs King, who lives in Rossendale, received a commendation from the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Michael Todd, in recognition of her bravery and courage.