AN elderly Newbury lady has been saved after a quick-thinking electrician came to her rescue.

Mick Hunt, an SSE Enterprise employee, was visiting the Speenhamland Court home of Catherine Roads, to carry out an annual check on the electrics for Sovereign Housing Association when he heard her crying out for help.

The concerned contractor jumped into action, enlisting the help of a neighbour to get to Mrs Roads’ aid as swiftly as possible.

“I heard somebody shouting from the hallway, so I contacted a neighbour who helped me gain access,” Mr Hunt said.

“I found an elderly lady had fallen by the front door. I gave her a blanket and a pillow to support her and called an ambulance.

“It was 8am and she told me she had been on the floor since 2am so it was very fortunate I was visiting.”

Mrs Roads was rushed to hospital by ambulance, where she spent the night being treated for a number of broken ribs.

Sandra Atkinson, Independent Living and Community Support Officer at Sovereign Housing Association, said: “Mrs Roads was fortunate our contractor had called and she has a helpful neighbour who was able to assist and acted without hesitation.

“Unfortunately, on this occasion Mrs Roads wasn’t wearing her pendant alarm linked to our 24-hour Careline Team who would’ve called for the emergency services.

“Mrs Roads was admitted to hospital for an overnight stay, and upon her return home expressed her appreciation for the help and support from everyone involved.”

Mr Hunt returned to the home the next day to ensure the safety check was carried out for Mrs Roads.

Delivery Manager at SSE, Oliver Devos, praised Mr Hunt’s actions and added: “Although these incidents are rare, we work in an industry that provides services for elderly and vulnerable residents at domestic properties and we need to be alert to the possibilities of encountering health problems. In this case Mick responded fantastically and his actions could well have been vital to the customer’s survival.”