A “HERO” girl is being hailed a life-saver after a woman was struck in the chest by a loose drain cover.

Little Lily-May Jarvis was peering out of her mum’s bedroom window in Sylvester Gardens, Hainault, when she saw the woman lying motionless on the ground outside.

The quick-thinking two-year-old called her mum for help and helped keep the injured woman calm as paramedics rushed to the scene.

“I was drying my hair and Lily was standing on my bed looking outside,” said mum Nicola Andrews.

The 24-year-old continued: “She started screaming: ‘help mummy help’.

“So I got up and looked out of the window and she pointed.

“My neighbour was lying by the drain. I picked Lily up and ran downstairs. I didn’t know what had happened.

“I called for an ambulance and then stayed with her to keep her reassured until it arrived.”

The woman, understood to be in her 50s, was placing bin bags by the drain cover last week in a footway off Sylvester Gardens when the metal cover flipped up and slammed into her chest.

She is recovering at home after breaking her chest bone and having stitches in her foot.

Miss Andrews said: “I’ve told Lily she was brilliant. She’s only two, so for her to know someone needs help is really clever.”

And neighbour Betty Jones is equally full of praise for the “brave” little girl.

She said: “If she hadn’t seen her, she could have been lying there for hours.”

She added: “It’s very worrying because a small child could have stepped on to the drain cover and be even more badly hurt.”

The cover has been secured.