A COPPLESTONE councillor has been branded a “hero” after he administered first aid on a child which was choking and had turned blue due to lack of oxygen.

The chairman of Copplestone Parish Council, Cllr Stuart Penny, took immediate action at the scene and local residents have said that what he did saved the child’s life.

Stuart’s wife Sam explained: "On Monday, December 9, in Copplestone, my husband Stuart Penny was on his way to collect our foster children from school when he saw a group of people crowded around a pre-school aged child.

"When he looked closer the child was choking and struggling to breathe.

"He was choking on the head of a lolly pop that had come off the stick.

"Stu took hold of the limp child and administered first aid with the child over his knee and gave him several back blows until the sweet came out."

A local resident told the "Courier": "Stuart deserves a lot of praise for his actions.

"This four-year-old lad was blue in the face when Stuart got there. No-one really knew what to do.

"He patted the lad on his back until the sweet which blocked his airway dislodged.

"I’m sure that what he did saved the lad’s life."

Stuart, who is a former police officer and who has completed first aid training courses in the past, said that his training kicked in and he took control of the situation.

"The child was unable to breathe, had gone blue and was limp.

"I whacked him three times on his back and fortunately it dislodged the sweet.

"Fortunately he soon recovered and I explained to his mother that he may have some bruising on his back but he was absolutely fine."

Mr Penny explained that while he was a police officer he was dealing with situations all the time, adding that he had been training in first aid since he was 18.

He added: "I suppose it was because of my previous training that I was able to act right away."

Mr Penny said he would like to see more local residents complete some first aid training and was hoping to ask the Parish Council if it could pay for this to happen.