BUS drivers have been praised after their diligent work helped saved the life of a man in his 80s.

David Walsh, 82, was on a Hedingham and Chambers bus in Clacton on Tuesday, November 29, when he suffered a bout of hypoglycaemia due to his diabetes.

He was aided by passengers and three bus drivers who took him into a town centre coffee shop whilst emergency services were called.

Jade Earl and her partner Jordan were among the group who helped the man as he recovered.

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 we would have to wait six hours.

“I called again when his condition worsened which 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 his 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 David recovered he was apologetic and thanked everyone that helped him recover. He was then taken to Colchester Hospital.

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 on Tuesday."