Teenager from Sutton has spoken of a “hero” waitress who pulled him to safety as a terrorist mowed down dozens of people in a lorry metres away from him.

Sam Ray, 18, of Mitre Close, had travelled to France on holiday with friends the day before Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel ploughed into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the seafront of Nice.

Eighty-four people, including at least 10 children, died in the attack on Thursday night.

Mr Ray, a former Overton Grange pupil who had never been abroad before, was walking along the Promenade des Anglais in the French city when the horror unfolded.

He said: “It was our second day there and I found out it was Bastille Day, so I thought there might be something going on by the sea and we were just watching the fireworks.

“We went down the street and saw a few people running and then many followed after. When I asked what was going on we were grabbed by a woman and were put in the cellar where she worked.

“We must have been in there for about 10 minutes and when we came out we saw soldiers outside. Initially there were a few of them, but then many more arrived and there were police waving bulletproof vests and that’s when I thought it was a terrorist attack.

“People there thought it was another mass shooting. We later found out it was a man in a truck who had killed those people.”

He added: “The next day police blocked off the road and there was a depressing atmosphere around the place. We went to Monaco that day because it was safer.”

Mr Ray’s mother Jane - who, incredibly, has herself been caught up in three terrorist attacks - thanked the waitress who helped ensure her son’s safety.

The 56-year-old, also of Mitre Close, witnessed the 1992 London Bridge explosion, 1996 docklands bombing and 7/7 London bombings in 2015.

She said: “My blood ran cold when I found out it was a terrorist attack, but I told myself to stay calm because I couldn’t get there and I trusted them to stay safe themselves.

“I told them to get back to the hotel room as there were rumours that someone was walking around with a gun.

“I called him twice and thought I’d rather have the cost charged to my mobile to talk and see that they were safe. They got really shaken up by what happened and told me that they were sure enough it was an Isis attack and asked me if I could get them out on a flight earlier.”

Mr Ray returned home safely on Sunday.

His mum said: “He’s been quiet since he got back, but he’s OK. I think it was because I was in contact with them that helped keep him calm.

“That lady in the bar was a hero, I really mean that. I would like to find her and say thank you, but unfortunately Sam can’t remember the name of the place, or where it was other than by the waterfront.”

The so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for the atrocity in Nice, although investigators have found no evidence 31-year-old Lahouaiej-Bouhlel explicitly pledged allegiance to the terror group.