Three teenage boys have been praised for coming to the rescue of a woman who suffered a fractured ankle.

Luke Hancox, a pupil at Downland School in Devizes, together with friends Ryan Gaines, 16, and his brother Alex, 15, put the woman in the recovery position after she had fallen and rang 999 for an ambulance.

Luke, 14, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, of Riverside Drive, Melksham, and Ryan and Alex, of Granville Road, Melksham, were fishing in the River Avon in Melksham when the woman, who has not been named, injured herself on November 16.

Luke said: “Some young children ran over to us and asked if we had a mobile phone and said a lady had fallen over by the river. We went to see her and she was having trouble breathing.”

Alex, a pupil at Springfields special School in Calne, rang 999 and the ambulance operator told him and his friends how to put the woman in the recovery position, which they did.

The woman had fallen on a steep bank by the river. A paramedic arrived in a car but called for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

The boys herded cows away in a nearby field so the helicopter could land and helped carry the woman on the stretcher.

Paramedic Shaun Russell said: “The lads were really good. They did whatever I wanted them to do.”

Police observer PC Nigel Gilbert said: “It was a difficult location. There was fencing and a stile to climb over and if the lads hadn’t been there it would have been tricky for us to get the patient into the helicopter.”

A paramedic from the air ambulance is to visit Downland School to thank Luke, and to talk to the pupils about their work on December 5.

Paul Spear, deputy head teacher, said: “It’s great that Luke used his initiative and responded promptly and quickly to an emergency situation. He was very modest about his actions, he didn’t come in and brag about it. ”

Samantha Neale, elder sister and legal guardian of Ryan and Alex Gaines, said: “I’m so proud of them. Alex took a lot of the initiative. He rang 999 and had to tell the operator where the injured woman was to direct the ambulance, and he took off some of his clothing to cover her to keep her warm. He was presented with an award at school for what he did.”