A WOMAN who performed lifesaving first aid on a man after he collapsed on a bus has been praised by paramedics.

Rebecca Andrews, 28, was about to board the number 27 arriva service on Thursday evening, in Merchantgate, York, when she heard the driver call for help.

The mum-of-two saw a man in his 60s on the floor and immediately called 999.

She was talked through the process of giving CPR to the man until paramedics arrived and took over the emergency treatment.

The man, who works for bus company Transdev, is now recovering in York Hospital.

Mrs Andrews, from Fulford, said: "Everyone had got off the bus and when I got on there was only the bus driver who was clutching him.

"I was in the St John Ambulance cadets at primary school and my training came back to me.

"The woman on the other end of the phone was very good and the paramedics were excellent.

"I tried to be calm and get it done until the ambulance arrived."

A doctor visiting her daughter at university also stepped in to give chest compressions before the first 999 responders arrived and the man was taken to York Hospital.

Ian Walton, associate director of Operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: "This incident has highlighted the importance of all the elements in the chain of survival when someone suffers a cardiac arrest.

“We’d like to express our sincere thanks to the bystander who stepped in and carefully followed the instructions from our emergency medical dispatcher over the phone to deliver effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until our clinicians arrived on scene.

"Our staff, including the Red Arrest Team, were able to continue with advanced life support and achieved a sustained heartbeat on scene before transporting the patient to hospital.

“The combined efforts of everyone involved saved this man’s life and we understand he is now recovering well in hospital."

Cindy Locker, general manager for Transdev in York, said: "We were all so shocked by the events when one of our most popular members of staff fell ill. We're doing all we can to support him and his family with his recovery.

"We would also like to thank the lady who helped him at the scene – we’re extremely grateful for what she did."