A PUB landlord came to the rescue of a fellow passenger who suffered a seizure and began choking while travelling on a bus through York.

Simon “George” Forman, who runs the Nag’s Head in Heworth, used medical lessons he had learned from watching television to perform an emergency Heimlich manoeuvre, while the driver of the service kept other customers calm.

The pair have now been praised by passengers for their swift reactions after the incident aboard the First York bus, which was heading from Strensall to York shortly after 9am yesterday.

The man, who has since received hospital treatment, became suddenly ill and began battling for breath as the service travelled along Huntington Road. “He started being sick and looked as if he was choking and having a seizure – he was shaking all over,” said Mr Forman, who recognised the man as a customer from his pub.

“He had been eating and it looked like he had food lodged in his throat, so I performed a Heimlich manoeuvre on him and lay him on the ground.

“I’d watched the manoeuvre performed on TV, so I just tried to do what I had remembered – anybody would have done the same thing.

“The bus driver was very good – she pulled over, began filing everybody off the bus and rang 999. Everybody was quite shocked and shaken up.”

Fellow passenger Steve Watt praised Mr Forman’s actions, saying: “I think he did an amazing job – who knows what would have happened if he had not reacted so quickly?

“The man looked as if he was having some sort of fit and collapsed on the floor of the bus. It also looked like he was struggling to breathe, so I think George deserves some praise for what he did.”

The Heimlich manoeuvre is a technique which involves using blows to the back and abdominal thrusts to clear blocked airways.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service confirmed they had received an emergency call just after 9.10am yesterday and paramedics were sent to the scene, with the man who became ill being taken to York Hospital.

A First spokesman said: “All our drivers are taught basic first-aid skills as part of their training, and these can come in very handy when faced with a sick or injured passenger.

“We will be nominating the driver for an internal Superstars award and I am sure she stands a good chance of winning the monthly prize for her quick-thinking act.”