BUS drivers have been praised after they helped to save the life of a pensioner.

David Walsh, 82, was on a Hedingham and Chambers bus in Clacton when he suffered a bout of hypoglycaemia due to his diabetes.

Passengers and three bus drivers went to his aid and took him into a town centre coffee shop whilst paramedics were called.

Jade Earl and her partner, Jordan, were among the group who helped the man.

She said: “I was in town with my partner and child and as we were going into Coffeelink.

“We saw the drivers taking David off the bus so Jordan helped.

“Another lady initially called the ambulance and we were told he would have to wait six hours.

“I called again when his condition worsened and the emergency services arrived shortly after that.”

Hedingham bus driver Michael, with the support of other drivers Debbie and Bradley, looked after David and Coffelink temporarily closed so he could get the help he needed.

Within ten minutes of arriving at the coffee shop, the elderly man’s health began to deteriorate and he could no longer speak or open his eyes.

Jade added: “When the paramedics arrived they came with a defibrillator and worked on David for about half an hour.

“When he came out they aided him with his blood sugar work and glucose levels.

“The bus drivers were told that without their help he would have gone into a diabetic coma and probably wouldn’t have made it.”

When Mr Walsh recovered he was apologetic and thanked everyone that helped him.

He was then taken to Colchester Hospital for further treatment.

A spokeswoman for Hedingham and Chambers said: “We are very proud of the way our drivers responded to the situation and helped the elderly gentleman who feel unwell as he left our one of our buses.”