A SPECIAL panel will decide whether three teenagers who stopped a man jumping off a bridge onto the busy A14 will receive a top bravery award.Fourteen year olds Matthew Tortice, Tyler Hunter-Mahon and Tom Sheeran pulled the father-of-two back from the wrong side of the bridge barrier four times while they waited for police officers to reach the scene.

A SPECIAL panel will decide whether three teenagers who stopped a man jumping off a bridge onto the busy A14 will receive a top bravery award.

Fourteen year olds Matthew Tortice, Tyler Hunter-Mahon and Tom Sheeran pulled the father-of-two back from the wrong side of the bridge barrier four times while they waited for police officers to reach the scene.

The Evening Star has put forward the youngsters - all pupils at Orwell High in Felixstowe - for a Royal Humane Society award and today the society confirmed the nomination had been accepted.

A spokesman for the society said a 14-member committee will be looking at the nomination this month.

“Having heard about the action these boys took, we had no hesitation in accepting the nomination and a detailed report is now being put together for the committee to consider,” he said.

The Royal Humane Society assesses acts of bravery in the saving of human life and its awards range from certificates and testimonials to bronze, silver and gold medals.

Felixstowe police chief Insp Stephen Gallant is also nominating the trio for a Suffolk Constabulary award for their efforts.

The incident happened last month as Matthew, Tyler and Tom returned from home from school.

They spotted the man on the bridge in Trimley High Road and went to see if he was all right. As well as physically restraining him, they tried desperately to persuade the 35-year-old not to take his own life by leaping into the stream of port-bound lorries and cars.

They told him to think of his family and children and how they would feel if he committed suicide.

Inspector Gallant said: “It's a refreshing change to have some young people involved in a positive way with an incident. I know from my work that young people do a lot of good stuff that very often goes without recognition.”

Officers said if the boys had not acted it would have led to the death or serious injury of the man on the bridge and possibly injuries to others if he had jumped and caused a serious crash on the A14.