Asda Antrim staff member Tony is tyre-iffic!

Customers at Asda Antrim know they’re in safe hands with porter Tony Burns.

The dad of seven, who has worked at Asda for almost 10 years, has earned his place as a local legend in the car park thanks to his quick thinking, kind heart and willingness to go the extra mile.

When he’s not rounding up trolleys or helping customers with their groceries, Tony can often be found coming to the rescue in the car park.

Over recent months, he’s stepped in to help a long list of customers in need, changing tyres, calling in the experts for backup and even rescuing a child locked inside a car.

In one instance, Tony heard a strange noise in the car park and noticed two women driving away with the tyre falling off its wheel. Tony said: “I heard this weird noise in the car park, so I looked around and I spotted two ladies driving with the car’s tyre hanging off the wheel.

“I went over to see if they needed some help. Luckily, they had a spare tyre so I grabbed a jack and fitted the spare for them so they could get back on the road.

“I’m no mechanic, but I can help people out of situations where they’d be stranded in the car park.

“I rang the local tyre shop behind Asda, and they said they’d be able to look over the rest of the car to make sure there was no further damage. The ladies were back in the shop 10 minutes later with a fixed car, trying to give me money for helping them!”

“No way,” Tony said.

“I don’t do nice things for a reward or recognition, I would hate to see anyone stuck with no one to help them. It’s just the right thing to do.”

On another occasion, he helped an elderly couple whose car wouldn’t start.

Tony said: “It happens quite often, as I’m usually in the car park and see a lot of broken-down cars.

“An elderly couple couldn’t get their car to start, so they asked me for help and I could see the lights flickering on, but the car just wouldn’t turn over.

“Unfortunately, no one had any jump leads, so I grabbed one of my colleagues and we were able to push the car to a start. The couple were able to get home safely without having to call out for breakdown cover. They were happy as Larry!”

Perhaps most memorably, Tony jumped into action when a distressed mother needed help when her car automatically locked with her baby and keys inside.

A father of seven and a proud granda, Tony said: “I got a phone call from security about a child trapped in a car. I rushed out and started trying to get into the car. Another customer in the car park saw what I was doing and came over to help.

“He was a dad too, and we both came together to help in a time of crisis.

“The mum was clearly panicked, but she was great keeping her wee one occupied, playing with her through the window. The little girl was laughing and giggling away while we were trying to pop the window out on the other side!

“Without any hesitation, she told us to break the window if we needed to. We managed to get through the front window and unlocked all the doors, then mum was able to safely lift her daughter out of the car.

“I stayed with them to make sure they were both okay. Thankfully, baby girl was still smiling away and none the wiser. The mum was very grateful, but I was just doing the right thing - if I see someone in trouble, I want to help.”