Two police officers have been praised for their quick-thinking actions saving the life of a man who had suffered a heart attack in Royal Wootton Bassett.

The officers were driving along the A3102 when they saw a man inside a stationary van who flashed his lights at them.

When they approached, the man asked them where the nearest hospital was because he believed he was having a heart attack.

They helped him out of the van, but he immediately went into cardiac arrest. The officers administered CPR on the roadside, stabilising him until he was taken to hospital by ambulance.

The patient, a 37-year-old man from Worcestershire but wishes to remain anonymous, praised the pair:

He said: “I want to say a huge thank you to them both, because not only did they do CPR, which saved my life, but they were so calm and reassuring the whole time. I phoned them both the following day to offer my personal thanks for everything they did for me.”

One of the officers PC David Rooksby added: “As a police officer your job is first and foremost to protect the public, and that is what we did on Saturday.

“We came across a man who needed help and we did everything we could to care for him until an ambulance was able to get there and give him the specialist medical treatment he needed.

“Often you have an interaction with somebody and then never see them or hear from them again, so it was lovely to receive the call from the man on Sunday and learn that he was making a good recovery.”

Detective Superintendent Ben Mant, who was on duty over the weekend, said he had put both officers forward for consideration of formal recognition.

He said: "This pair of officers acted instinctively and professionally, jumping into action and using their first aid training to save this man's life.

"I am incredibly proud of them both, they are a credit to the Force and the communities they serve."