Thirty-five year-old Lieutenant Commander Nick Grimmer, from Great Yarmouth, is on exchange with the Royal Australian Navy's 808 Squadron, flying MRH90 helicopters.

A Royal Navy helicopter pilot has helped to rescue people trapped by bushfires in Australia.

He has been flying evacuation missions for up to 10 hours each day since November.

"The scale of the fires are phenomenal and the devastation is truly horrific," he said.

"At times it seems the entire horizon is on fire with flames up to 50 or 60 feet high."

Over the New Year, Lt Cdr Grimmer's aircraft and crew co-ordinated rescue efforts with the amphibious ship HMAS Choules, attending to people living on the south-eastern tip of the country.

Formerly in UK service as RFA Largs Bay, the ship carried around 1,100 people alongside 117 dogs, four cats, a parakeet and a rabbit from the small town of Mallacoota to Melbourne.

"Watching people – everyone from a baby of two months to an elderly lady in her 90s – get off in Melbourne, relieved, saying 'goodbye', 'thank you' and shaking everyone’s hands was very gratifying, definitely the highlight and made all our efforts seem worthwhile."