The walker was climbed the steps to Brean Down when he suffered the heart attack

THE family of a walker whose heart stopped beating for 10 minutes have praised the beach warden who saved his life on Easter Sunday.

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David Furber, a warden at Brean beach, came to the rescue of a walker who had suffered a heart attack while climbing the steep steps of Brean Down.

With the help of a woman already at the scene, Mr Furber managed to get the man’s heart beating again after it stopped, and he was airlifted to hospital.

He is currently recovering following heart surgery.

The 46-year-old man, whose family do not wish him to be named, was climbing the steps at about 5pm when he suffered the heart attack.

Mr Furber, who was on duty on the nearby beach at the time, said: “I had a phone call from the Cove Café to say that there was a gentleman who had had a heart attack on the steps up to Brean Down.

“I grabbed our defibrillator and ran up there. By the time I got there, there was a woman giving him CPR.

“I think for about 10 minutes the defibrillator didn’t pick any breathing or heart rate from him, there was no reading on it at all.

“But we kept trying and eventually his heart rate and breathing started again.”

Paramedics and a team from the coastguard had by this time arrived and the man, who is from Melksham in Wiltshire, was airlifted to Weston General Hospital.

He was then transferred to Bristol Royal Infirmary on Sunday evening, before undergoing surgery the next day. He is said to be in a stable condition.

Mr Furber, aged 53, added: “We have been trained for this for several years, but that’s the first time we’ve actually had to put it into action.”

When asked if the actions of Mr Furber and the woman, who has not yet been identified, had saved her brother’s life, the walker’s sister said: “I think they did, absolutely.

“We just want to say thank you to them, and to everyone who helped to get him to hospital on Sunday, they were all fantastic and we are very grateful for what they did.

“We really want to track down the woman who gave him CPR and thank her personally.”

If you are the woman, contact the beach wardens on 07774 284891.