THREE young brothers sprang into action when their mother Samantha cut her arm open with a knife.

With blood gushing from the wound, six-year-old Christopher grabbed the first aid kit and did what he could to stem the flow, while Thomas, eight, calmly called 999.

He spent 10 minutes on the phone to operators describing what happened, who he was and where they lived.

He also found the time to feed his younger brother Ben, three, and care for his baby sister Ellie.

Now the brothers, who attend Abbey Meads School, have been rewarded for their bravery by the Great Western Ambulance Service.

Samantha, who lives with the boys at Redhouse Way, Swindon, said she was very proud of her sons.

She said: "I had been using a Stanley knife to open a fishing rod case when the knife slipped and I cut a big gash just below my elbow.

"It was deep and the blood was gushing so I ran into the house and the boys had seen what happened and began helping. They didn't need prompting, they just knew what to do. They know where the first aid box is and Chris began getting bandages out.

"He squeezed the wound tight with his fingers so we could get something on it to staunch the blood. He was getting covered in blood too, but it wasn't bothering him.

"I could hear Thomas on the phone giving the ambulance people the details. I remember thinking Do I need an ambulance?' but of course I couldn't have driven to the hospital, so Thomas knew best in this case."

Paramedics arrived quickly and dressed Samantha's wound before taking her to the Great Western Hospital where she received eight stitches.

"The boys did so well, they are very protective of each other and always work as a team, but there was no panic," said Samantha.

"I had told them what to do in an emergency before. They never covered it at school, but the message obviously got through."

Emergency operator Justine Lovelock, who is based in the Devizes control room, said: "Thomas was an excellent caller who gave concise information and took instruction calmly."

The boys were given a behind the scenes tour of the county's emergency service, looking inside the Air Ambulance and trying on firemen's helmets for size.