A pub landlady has described the shocking moment a regular night turned to horror when a patron staggered back into the bar after being stabbed on his way home.

Sara Jones said everything was as normal at The Rose Inn pub in Faversham Road in Kennington on Friday.

But regular customer Darran Bean returned moments after leaving the pub with five stab wounds and covered in blood, shortly before midnight.

Mrs Jones, who is set to mark her first anniversary in charge of the pub this weekend with husband Dave, said: “It was just the usual Friday night until Darran came back in.

"Myself and a couple of customers wrapped him in towels and gave him CPR until the paramedics turned up.

Their actions are believed to have saved the life of the 47-year-old Kingsnorth Scaffolding director, who only had a slim chance of surviving the attack.

"We didn't expect anything like this to happen, and we’re just trying to get back to normality really" - Sara Jones

Mrs Jones, who was the previous landlady at the Beaver Inn in Beaver Road, South Ashford before moving to the Rose Inn, added: “Obviously we have never had anything like that before.

“It’s everything to us, it’s our home and this has happened out of the blue.

“It has definitely tainted the first year party we had planned this weekend. We didn’t expect anything like this to happen, and we’re just trying to get back to normality really.

“Our regular customers have been really supportive, they’ve been coming in and making sure we are all alright.”

Police cordoned off the area outside the pub at the junction of Faversham Road and Ulley Road on Saturday while carrying out their investigation.

On Saturday night, police arrested a 24-year-old man from the Ashford area, on suspicion of attempted murder.

Then on Tuesday morning, they arrested a second man on suspicion of attempted murder, this time a 20-year-old, also from the Ashford area.

Yesterday police confirmed both men had been released on bail while an investigation into the incident continues.

Mr Bean remains in a critical condition at a hospital in London.