A hospital surgeon has praised the 'first class' response of the team who saved his life after he suffered a cardiac arrest at a country fayre near Beccles.

AD Patel, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), was performing with the Bollywood Sparkles Dance group in the arena at Weston Country Fayre on Sunday when he collapsed.

A call for help was answered by people attending the fayre, including David Jermany whose wife was running a craft stall.

The 50-year-old said: 'I heard a call saying 'we need a first-aider quickly' and I've been doing first-aid for 30 years so my ears pricked up.

'So I legged it along with an off- duty paramedic and his wife who is an A&E nurse who were standing behind me.

'He started putting the mask on him and someone started chest compressions and then we all took it in turns. We carried on with the CPR until the ambulance got there and then they used a defibrillator.

'It's the first time I have ever had to do it and it was the right result.'

Mr Jermany said the trio were helped by another nurse, a retired paramedic and a special constable, along with his wife and some of the dancers who created a screen.

The East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) was called and landed in a nearby field. Dr Peter Temesvari assessed Mr Patel and gave him pain relief before airlifting him to the NNUH. A spokesman from the EAAA said: 'It is understood he received some immediate, good quality CPR on scene from by-standers which undoubtedly played a big part in saving his life.'

A spokesman from the NNUH said Mr Patel is making satisfactory progress.

She said: 'Mr Patel would like to pass on his sincere thanks to the paramedics, First Responders, East Anglian Air Ambulance and others who assisted him, providing first class care and ensuring he was transferred swiftly to receive treatment.'

Their actions were also praised by Mike Stamford who made the 999 call.

He said: 'The guys who did the first aid were brilliant and the ambulance crew arrived so quickly.

'It's so easy to criticise the NHS and they take a lot of knocking, but they did a superb job.

'It could so easily have ended in tragedy, but for the outstanding performances of both off-duty and on-duty medics.'