Asda delivery driver from Amble hailed a hero after saving Whitley Bay man's life while at work

Simon was delivering groceries in Whitley Bay on April 6 when he was flagged down by a distressed woman who was begging for help. That woman was Elizabeth Storey and her husband, James, has collapsed and stopped breathing.

Fifty-year-old Simon ran into the house and found James unconscious and unresponsive.

While Elizabeth was on the phone to 999, Simon performed CPR until James started to breath then got him into the recovery position and waited for the paramedics to arrive.

Simon, who has been a delivery driver for three years, said: "I'm just happy that I was able to help. I was in the right place right time. I'm just glad he's now doing well and recovering as it was a very frightening time for everyone.

"The ambulance call handler was excellent as I hadn't done first aid since leaving the army and I was relieved when the paramedic arrived.

"Talking to the call handler was fantastic, they very very helpful. Once I was happy that his breathing was okay I rolled him into the recovery position and kept him calm and still. He was still unconscious at that point.

"Eventually his eyes opened and he moved his right leg, so he was coming round. I was talking to him in a calm voice. I've no idea how long it all took. When you are in a situation like that it seems like ages, realistically it probably wasn't that long. You have got so much going on in your head.”

James was then taken to Cramlington Hospital where he spent several days before being allowed home to recover.

His family took to Facebook to track down Simon to thank him.

Michelle Osborne, James’s daughter, said: "Simon is a true local hero, going above and beyond that extra mile for two random strangers. My family and I will be eternally grateful to Simon, our super hero without a cape!

"We will never be able to repay Simon for what he did. My mum is so grateful to him. My family and I thank him from the bottom of our hearts!”

Emma Williamson, the store's operations manager, was so proud of how Simon handled the situation.

She said: "What Simon did was absolutely amazing and he's very humble about it too. We are so proud of him. Thankfully, the gentleman is stable in hospital. He’s up and talking but they’re running tests just to see what caused it. The hospital have said five more minutes and the guy would have died.

"Simon is getting lots of lovely comments and they are very well deserved. I'm not sure how he managed to go on and complete the rest of his deliveries to be honest. We told him to come back to store and we would get someone else to take them back, but he just said he was already out so may as well finish them off. Amazing!”

A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson added: "While we are unable to comment on an individual’s condition, bystander CPR is hugely important and performing CPR while our crews are travelling can be the difference between life and death.

“Cardiac arrest can strike anybody at any time in any place, and every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by 10%. As most cardiac arrests happen at home, knowing how to do CPR can help save lives.

“Our health advisors will often ask a caller to initiate CPR to give a patient the best chance of surviving. In the last year, we have supported over 17,600 people to do CPR over the phone. There are also steps everyone can take, from watching videos on the British Heart Foundation’s website to taking a first aid training course.”