This is the dramatic moment a hero pensioner rugby tackled a toddler to save her life - while she was running into the path of an oncoming lorry.

Pradit Ketprasert, 66, was working as a cleaner at a building alongside the highway when he spotted the danger in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on July 3.

CCTV shows the three-year-old girl carrying her teddy bear as she waddled into the road. Just yards away was an approaching lorry with several tonnes of construction material on the back.

Pradit was eating a bowl of noodles for lunch when he noticed her and ran over as fast as he could - ignoring his arthritic knees - before diving at the youngster.

He tumbled to the ground with her and suffered grazes on his left arm from where he landed on the concrete but neither of them was seriously hurt.

Pradit said: 'I heard a woman next to me shout 'look out for the car' to the girl. I looked up and saw the little girl running towards the road. I knew she was not old enough to understand shouting, so I just stood up and ran over to stop her.

'I only acted on my instinct. I'm pleased that I saved her and I'm happy to do a good deed.'

The young girl's mother, who lives around 200 meters from the scene, thanked Pradit for potentially saving her daughter's life.

She said: 'I felt shattered when I watched the video. My daughter could have died if he hadn't intervened. 

'On that day, my daughter was asleep, so I left her in the room with the door closed to quickly go outside and buy lunch from a stall nearby.

'It was about five minutes later when I heard that a child was nearly hit by a car but I was unaware it was my daughter. 

'When I turned and saw a child without clothes, I immediately recognised it was my daughter. I was deeply shocked that my daughter had woken up and run out. It is an important life lesson.'