Ref. 14864TWO quick-thinking teenagers used their first aid skills to save a stricken 10-year-old from choking to death.

Philip Lucas was struggling to breathe before his brother Wayne, 13, and friend Darryl Moore, 14, slapped his back repeatedly to dislodge a sweet trapped in his throat.

The drama unfolded around 5pm last Wednesday at the family home in Kendrick Close, Westbury when Wayne and Darryl spotted Philip's purple face pressed against the front window.

The teenagers normally go bike riding with friends after school, but just happened to be passing the house at the time. Unusually, Philip and Wayne's mum Caron had left the house to collect their dad from work so the teenagers realised it was down to them to save the youngster.

Wayne said: "When I walked down to see what he was doing I heard him shout 'help'. He had tears running down his face and I thought he was going to die."

The pair, both students at Matravers School, burst into the house and took Philip into the kitchen to perform the life-saving manoeuvre after drinking water failed to free the sweet.

Philip, a Bitham Brook Primary School pupil had been choking for a few minutes before the teenagers came past and had been growing increasingly frantic.

He said: "I tried to call my nan, but I couldn't remember her number. It was just weird really, I could hardly breathe.

"I told a few people at school the next day, but I don't think they believed me."

Mrs Lucas, 36, is special needs co-ordinator at Eden Vale Pre-School and an experienced first-aider. She said the teenagers had been in the right place at the right time.

She said: "They really helped one another. The first thing I said to Wayne was how did you know what to do and he said he'd learnt it from me.

"I've always drummed into the boys the importance of first aid. I renew my qualifications every three years the last time was in January.

"I checked Philip over and he was fine, but he said he was a bit bruised where it had gone down."

Darryl has also learnt life-saving skills through his membership at the Westbury army cadets and said he and Wayne just kept calm and remembered what to do.

He added: "We've got this dummy at cadets and we always practice on that."

Wayne and Darryl's heroics come after last week's front page story on 10-year-old Jaye Williamson, who saved her dad's life when he suffered a brain haemorrhage.

St John Ambulance runs first aid courses for schools and has a 'Badgers' section, which youngsters can join. For more information contact Sandra Tanguy on (01380) 728362.