Two Highland Council binmen have been hailed as heroes after racing to the aid of a seriously ill pensioner.
Marilyn Wood ran into the street when she was unable to wake her 77-year-old husband Roy.
She flagged-down John Smith and Donald Grant who were on their round in the Sutherland town of Brora.
The pair followed Mrs Wood back into her house in Dudgeon Drive and found her husband drifting in and out of consciousness and struggling for breath.
They cleared his airway and made him comfortable, phoned an ambulance and calmed down 76-year-old Mrs Wood.
Mr Wood was taken by ambulance to the Lawson Memorial Hospital in Golspie before being airlifted to Raigmore in Inverness.
Doctors initially feared he had suffered a major stroke – but he is now on the road to recovery after medics established he had suffered a seizure.
And last night, Mrs Wood sang the praises of the Good Samaritan binmen.
She said: “I just can’t believe that they were there, it was a gift from God.
“I couldn’t waken him. I ran round to my neighbour’s house for help and he phoned the ambulance.
“I ran back to my house and saw the bucket men coming round the corner.
“I asked John Smith, the driver, to come and help me. His colleague had medical experience. He came in and took over while we waited for the ambulance. It was a great relief to me.
“I would like to thank them very much. They were a Godsend.”
Mr Grant said: “We pulled into the street in Brora when she came up and asked for help. We ran into the property and up the stairs. He was coming in and out of consciousness.
“The man was struggling for breath. I made him comfortable and kept his airway open until the ambulance attended.”
The binmen’s foreman, John Little, said: “I think they did a great thing. We want to help out in the community any way we can.”
Mrs Wood added: “At first they thought it was a severe stroke, his heart rate was away up at 170 and they couldn’t get any response from him.
“The doctors had thought it was a severe stroke and had told me not to hope for much.
“But he has made such a great recovery and will be transferred to Golspie in the near future.
“He had a bad stroke a couple of years ago and was taking epileptic fits.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “The Scottish Ambulance Service received an emergency call at 8.27am about an elderly gentleman who had taken unwell at his home address.
“The local ambulance crew arrived on scene within five minutes of the call coming in.
“The patient was taken to Lawson Memorial Hospital in Golspie and subsequently airlifted by our helicopter to Raigmore Hospital. When we took the patient to hospital we believed him to be in a serious condition.
“We are delighted to hear that the binmen were able to offer assistance until the ambulance arrived a few minutes later.”